Souls, Swords, and Courage
by TX17
Summary: For years, he's roamed through their world, to destroy that sword and save his kingdom. For years, she's journeyed across the continents to stop that blade's evil powers. At every turn someone else is in their way. Around every corner lies another foe.
1. Eleven Years

_**I do not own any part of the Soul or Legend of Zelda series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

It was late at night. A few footsteps could be heard. The creaking of the wood. The splashing of small waves against the sides of the ship. Most everyone had gone to sleep, save the crew working through the night.

Down on the middle deck, a man with blond, parted hair and pointed ears sat in bed, softly playing his ocarina.

_**BEG  
BEG  
BDCA GAB E DFE**_

He leaned his back against the wall, holding the brown instrument in his left hand. He sighed, his eyes turned towards the ceiling.

"Over eleven years…," he said to himself, "It's been over eleven years since I left."

* * *

_The sunlight shone in through the windows. All seven sages were present. The Princess sat on her throne, waiting. The doors opened, and a sixteen year old boy clad in green entered._

"_You desired to see me, Princess Zelda?" he asked._

"_Link,"she greeted him, "there's a problem."_

"_What is it?"_

"_It's about Ganondorf, Link," she responded._

_Link's eyes widened. Ganondorf was supposed to be sealed in the sacred realm. Did he escape? "What about Ganondorf?" he asked._

"_He didn't act of his own accord,"Rauru stated._

"_What?"_

"_Something was controlling him," Zelda said._

"_Someone controlling Ganondorf?" Link asked, "Who in the world-"_

"_Not in our world," Rauru interrupted, "And not a who."_

_Link raised his brow, not understanding what Rauru meant._

"_Allow me to explain," Rauru continued, "There are worlds other than ours, Link. Some so similar to each other that you could spend a lifetime searching for any difference. Others so radically different, they defy comprehension."_

"_So… the evil behind Ganondorf was not of our world?" Link asked, puzzled._

"_Exactly," Rauru replied._

"_But… what do you mean, 'not a who'?"_

"_The evil of which we speak is not a man," Rauru explained, "But a sword."_

"_A… a sword?"_

"_Yes. Just as the Master Sword on your back has a mind of its own, though dormant," Rauru exclaimed, "this weapon also has its own will."_

"…_An evil Master Sword?" Link mused, having trouble grasping the situation._

"_In a sense, yes," Rauru answered, "But, this is not a weapon of the Goddesses. This weapon is one of pure malice and hatred. They call it Soul Edge."_

"_Who would forge such a weapon?"_

"_We don't know, Link. All we know is that this weapon is what corrupted Ganondorf. As to how or why, we're unsure."_

"_How… how do you know all of this?" Link asked the old sage._

"_I had a vision," Rauru answered. And I wasn't the only one. Saria. Nabooru. Impa. Ruto. Darunia. Even Zelda. We've all seen it." _

"_So… if it's not of this world, how do we stop it?"_

"_That's the problem," Zelda answered, "We don't know yet. It's not like the Temples here in Hyrule. We can't just teach you a song to transport you there."_

"_I've been speaking with several practitioners of magic,"Rauru said, "we're trying to figure out a way to transport you there, with a means to bring you back."_

"_Well, what about songs to transport me back to a temple here in Hyrule?" Link asked, "Or to communicate back to you that I'm done?"_

"_Too much of a risk to send you without a backup plan," Rauru responded, "We don't know if that will work across worlds."_

"_Link," Zelda addressed the hero, "Are you willing to go into another world and stop this great evil?"_

_Link looked up at her and answered, "Yes, your majesty. To save this land, I'd go through hell and back."_

* * *

He stood up from his bed, and walked over to his sword and tunic hanging on the wall.

"Heh," he chuckled to himself, "'through hell and back.' Never thought I'd actually have to make good on those words."

* * *

_It had been almost a year since the threat of Soul Edge was discovered. The sages had been meeting with wizards and mages from all over Hyrule. At last, they believed they had found a way to send Link to the other world and get him back._

"_All of you gather together," Link tried to understand, "And combine your magics to try and create a portal?"_

"_That's correct," Rauru answered, "We do this, and you have entry to Soul Edge's world."_

"_All right… And… how, exactly, am I getting back?"_

"_That's the tricky part," Rauru answered, "We haven't figured out a way to contact you in the other world without reopening the portal. You must understand, Link, this magic is a grueling one. It drains us of our magic and energy. We can only keep it open for a short while, and cannot cast it very often."_

"_How often?"_

"_Once every year or so."_

"_What?"_

"_I understand that it may not take you that long to find and destroy Soul Edge," Rauru explained, "But I'm afraid that's the best we can manage. At least, for now."_

"_All right," Link breathed, "So, once every year or so. How will we work that out?"_

"_Every year on the anniversary of the day we sent you out, we will reopen the portal," Rauru told Link, "You must be there, Link. If you have destroyed Soul Edge, you will step through the portal and come home. If you have not simply tell us, and we will tell if you if we have learned anything that may help you."_

* * *

_A few months later, exactly one year since the threat of Soul Edge was discovered, everything was ready to go. Link donned his tunic, put on his hat, equipped his sword, and made his way to Hyrule Castle. He had said his goodbyes. All that was left was to leave._

"_Are you ready, Link?" Zelda asked, a look of concern on her face._

"_Yes, Princess," Link answered, smiling reassuringly, "Of course."_

_He followed her to the castle courtyard, where Rauru and the sages were waiting, along with many other magic users of the kingdom._

"_Link!" Rauru greeted the hero, "It's good to see you."_

"_You're sure this will work?" Link asked. "I won't end up in the wrong world?"_

"_Even if you do, Link," Rauru answered, "You're blessed by the Goddesses. You fare a far better chance than any of us would in parts of our own world. Come. It's time to go." He turned to the other who were gathered and shouted, "PREPARE TO CAST!" _

_They all assumed positions, and faced towards the same area._

"_ON MY MARK!"_

_The magic was beginning to build up._

"_3!"_

_It was beginning to grow powerful. Link could almost feel it._

"_2!"_

_This was it. He would not enter Hyrule again for a year. Possibly longer._

"_1!"_

_Time to go._

"_NOW!"_

_A bright beam of light shone at the point all the casters faced. It grew, and took the shape of a doorway, almost. Inside the light, one could make out land different from what was behind the portal. It was the other world._

"_HURRY, LINK!" Rauru shouted over the noise coming from the magical portal, "WE CAN'T HOLD THIS OPEN MUCH LONGER!"_

_Link nodded, and approached the portal. He looked around one last time. He may not be returning anytime soon._

"_LINK!" Rauru shouted._

_The hero entered the portal, and took his first step into the Soul Edge's world. He moved his other leg, and entered the portal completely. He was no longer in Hyrule._

"_ONE THING, LINK!" Rauru shouted through the portal, his voice distorted, "BEWARE OF THE BEING MADE OF FLAME!"_

_With that, the portal closed. Link was now stuck in this strange world._

"_The being made of flame…," Link repeated to himself, "The being made of flame…" _

_He took his eyes off the ground, and looked around. A bright, blue sky hung overhead. On the horizon he saw a village. He would start his search there._

* * *

_**Oh, look at that. I started a new story without finishing any of the others.**_

_**Sorry.**_

_**It's just. I get ideas. And I don't want to forget them. So I start on them, or jot them down. But sooner or later, I hit a block. So, I try. But eventually, I just can't keep trying. I'm not cancelling my other stories. They're just on hold until I can figure out a way to proceed with them. In the meantime, enjoy this.**_

_**If you have any questions you can ask in your review or PM me. But make sure I can PM you back. I can't answer you if your messages are turned off.**_

_**Now to lay down some backstory. In the flashback, Link is 16 as stated in Hyrule Historia. 17 by the time he enters the portal to the other world.**_

_**I feel this seems a little rushed, but I couldn't really think of a way to continue it without it.**_

_**Please leave a review. Was it good? Was it bad? How so?**_


	2. A Lead At Last

_**I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_It was that time again. Another year had gone by. Link made his way back to the spot where he first set foot into this world; this terrible world._

_Soul Edge's world was not really a bad place, but Link was alone. He did not form any friendships or relationships, mostly because the people alienated him. His pointed ears made the people view him as a freak. They saw it as the mark of a demon, or some sort of monster. He couldn't hide them with his hair; they were too noticeable. So he kept to himself, often under a hooded cloak, trying to accomplish his task._

_Link kept thinking, any day now, he'd find a lead. He'd find Soul Edge. He'd find it and destroy it. And when that was all said and done, he would at last be able to go home._

_But that day didn't come. For four years, that day didn't come. He had no clues. No one had any idea where this blade could be. Most had never even heard of it._

_But he had to keep looking. He couldn't go back until the blade was gone, and Hyrule was safe._

_A sound reminiscent of electric sparks caught his attention. A glowing ball of light appeared before him. It grew larger, and opened up. He saw through it. His home; the beautiful land of Hyrule. It was so close, but out of his reach._

"_Link!" called a voice through the portal._

_Princess Zelda. She has become so much more womanly, so much more beautiful since Link had left._

"_Link!" she called again, "Have you found Soul Edge yet?"_

"_Not yet, Princess!" Link shouted back through the portal, "I'm working on it!"_

"_Do you have any leads?"_

"_Not at the moment!"_

"_I see…"_

_Zelda sighed and lowered her head. Rauru's voice boomed from behind her, "WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, LINK. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH TO TELL US?" _

"_**Let me end this quest! Let this torment cease! Please, by the almighty Goddesses, LET ME COME HOME!"**_

"_No," Link answered, his insides churning._

"_ALL RIGHT THEN, LINK," Rauru shouted back, "KEEP TRYING! OUR MAGIC IS DRAINING, WE'LL CLOSE THE PORTAL NOW. GOOD LUCK! WE'LL SEE YOU IN ONE YEAR!"_

_The portal began to shrink. Within seconds, it had disappeared entirely._

_Link stood there, his fists clenched, his teeth gritted. He began to tremble. He turned his gaze towards the heavens and let out a scream. A terrible scream of anger and frustration._

_For four years he had been stuck here, with nary an inkling of Soul Edge's whereabouts. For four years, he had to tell them that he was no closer to finding the sword than he was when he had first arrived. Did they think he was just slacking off?_

_If this kept up, Link would die before he found the sword. Every day, that dream of returning to Hyrule seemed further and further away._

_He turned around, and made his way back to the village._

* * *

"_Damned sword…," he grumbled, lifting the cup to his lips once more. Downing another mouthful of the nihonshu. He had originally only come to the the inns to hear if anybody knew about Soul Edge, but as time went on, he found himself drinking. Soon, he began drinking every single time the opportunity showed itself. It made him feel good; made him forget the pain and the loneliness. Even if only for a while._

_He had given up asking around about the sword, as that had been fruitless for the first two years of his search. He listened to what was going on around him, but other than that, just tried to keep to himself._

_He took another drink, trying to listen to what was going on around him._

"—_took out the entire Cavalry at Nagashino–"_

"—_begun raiding the Korean coastline–"_

"—_the old man is gone. The pale child is—"_

"—_says he's looking for the sword of legend—"_

_Sword of legend? Link focused on that. He turned his head and listened in on the table behind him._

"_Sword of legend?"_

"_Yes. Soul Edge, I think they call it."_

_Link's eyes widened. This was his chance. He shut out everything else but that conversation._

"_Any idea where he's headed?" asked the man in the kasa._

"_None. All I know is he wants the sword," replied the other._

"_Any idea who might know?" asked the first._

"_I know a man in Chugoku," answered the second, "a weapons collector. His name is Xiuqiang. Kong Xiuqiang. He might know."_

"_Thank you," said the man in the kasa, as he stood up and laid a bag of coins on the table. He headed for the door, and walked out._

_This was it! He was on Soul Edge's trail! Soon he'd finally be rid of the damned thing and be able to return home. With a large grin on his face, he headed back to his room at the inn and collected his belongings. And then, without another word, he split town, making his way to Chugoku._

* * *

_Five weeks had passed since Link left for Chugoku. At last, he had arrived. It was much busier than the other region. People were hustling and bustling on the street, eager to arrive at their destinations. Much like the crowds at Castle Town._

"_Xiuqiang," he said to himself, "A weapons collector named Kong Xiuqiang." _

_He lowered the hood further over his face, and walked through the streets, searching for a tavern or an inn where he could ask around about this Xiuqiang character._

_He searched for hours, even offering a reward for the information, and it finally paid off. He arrived at the specified location: A small shop in an alleyway near the edge of town. He knocked on the door, and entered._

"_Kong Xiuqiang?" he called._

_No answer came._

"_Kong Xiuqiang?"_

_Again, silence._

"_Kong Xiuqiang?" he asked once more, loudly._

"_Whoa, whoa, what?" answered a voice, followed by a crash and a thud. "Ow!"_

_Link went to the back room to see what had cause the noise. An old, bearded man lay on the ground, surrounded by several bottles of rice wine and a broken pot. By the looks of it, he had been sleeping off his liquor until Link woke him up._

_Link crouched to help the old man to his feet._

"_What do you want?" asked the old man groggily._

"_Are you Kong Xiuqiang?" Link asked._

"_Yeah," answered the old man, "What do you want?"_

"_I understand you might know a thing or two about a weapon called 'Soul Edge?'" Link said._

"_Soul Edge?" Xiuqiang repeated, scratching the back of his head, "I might know a thing or two. What do you want with it?"_

"_That's not important," Link answered._

"_Fine,"Xiuqiang spat, "So, tell me. Why should I tell you anything about Soul Edge?"_

_Link smiled and reached into his bag, and pulled out a pouch. He emptied it onto the table, and out came a handful of rupees of many different colors. He learned quickly that, as a currency, they were useless here. But they resembled fine cut jewels of this world, and the right person would take them all the same as coin._

_Xiquiang smiled. He looked up at Link, "What do you want to know?"_

"_I want to know where it is. Where it might be."_

"_Ha!" Xiuqiang scoffed, "Where it is? There's a reason it's called 'The Sword of LEGEND.' I don't know where it is. Nobody knows where it is. Most don't even think it's real, or they've never heard of it."_

"_Do you have __**any**__ idea?" Link said, growing frustrated._

"_Yeah, I do," Xiuqiang stood up and walked into the back room, "Make yourself comfortable, son. I've got quite the tale tell you." He came back with two bottles of rice wine, and tossed one to Link as he sat down. "Drink up."_

"_Tell me what I want to know," Link said, raising the bottle to his lips, eager to finally end this journey._

"_Easy," Xiquiang answered, taking a swig of his own bottle, "There's a thousand tales surrounding Soul Edge. And a thousand places it could be."_

"_What?" Link asked, exasperatedly, "A THOUSAND? No, that can't be right… That-"_

"_Calm. Down," Xiuqiang ordered, "Let me tell you. Being the traveling martial artist that I am, I hear stories from all over, many of them dealing with weapons and warriors. Many, many years ago, I heard tale of a man from the west. They called him, 'The Merchant of Death.' One of the richest men in his country… Italy, I think it was. Anyway, this merchant was obsessed with his riches and his collections. He had a collection of armaments and was very eager to find one last addition – a blade of legend. Soul Edge." Xiuqiang took another mouthful of rice wine, and continued his tale, "He hired many explorers, mercenaries, and even pirates to look for it. He even went searching for it himself."_

"_So, he found it?" Link interrupted._

"_According to legend," Xiuqiang continued, "not long after the merchant left on his search for the weapon, war broke out. His manor – his treasures – were looted. He had lost everything that wasn't on his fleet. In anger, he turned his fleet around, and went to a desolate island off the coast of Italy, near a place called Sicily. He had a giant pit dug, and filled with all his remaining treasures and possessions. He built a vault around the pit, and sealed himself inside."_

"_What?" Link asked, "But-but... What about Soul Edge?"_

"_That's just it," Xiuqiang said back, "It might be locked in that vault with the merchant."_

"_**MIGHT**__ BE?!" Link asked, shooting up out of his chair, his hood almost coming off. He didn't want to travel all that way for nothing. He just wanted to destroy that sword and go home. He had to._

"_It's worth checking out, isn't it?" Xiuqiang downed another mouthful of wine, "And if it isn't, maybe he figured out where it was; left you a map."_

"_And if he didn't?" Link inquired desperately._

"_Then you come on back to me. I'll tell you anything I know about it."_

_Link gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Beads of sweat began dripping from his brow. He was going to travel to this faraway country all on another man's hunch? He couldn't believe he was going to go through with it. He angrily turned away and headed for the door._

"_One more thing," Xiuqiang added. Link turned his head to the old man. "If you find that sword, and find yourself wanting to get rid of it...," Xiuqiang smiled, " I'll pay a handsome price for it."_

_Link turned back around and walked out the door of the shop. As he exited, he knocked into somebody, and they both fell to the floor._

"_Apologies," said the other person._

"_No, it's my fault," Link said standing up. He looked at the other figure. It was the man in the kasa._

"…_Do I know you from somewhere?" asked the man._

"_No…," Link answered, turning away, "You must be mistaken."_

_Link walked away, leaving the man in the kasa alone. He had to hurry and find the merchant's vault. He had to hurry and end this horrible quest._

* * *

_**AND. I'M. DONE.**_

_**HUZZAH!**_

_**This one was a toughie to write.**_

_**Yes, yes, yes, chapter two has arrived! Please, please, hold your applause.**_

_**It's been four years since Link first arrived in Soul Edge's world, and the year is 1584 AD.**_

_**Who is the strange man in the kasa? Maybe you'll find out later.**_

_**What the hell is a kasa? It's a conical hat.**_

_**Is Soul Edge in the merchant's vault? Maybe. Maybe not.**_

_**Is that the same Kong Xiuqiang who is Xianghua's father? Yes. At least, I intended it to be. Can't really use a character's canon personality when they don't have enough of a character to develop a personality. **_

_**So, tell me. What did you think? Did you like it? Why? Did you hate it? Why? What can I do to make it better?**_


	3. When Music Hits

**"The good thing about music is that when it hits you, it doesn't hurt." ~Bob Marley**

**I do not own any part of either the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**

**Please review. Thank you.**

* * *

"_Italy?" the captain asked, loudly, "Do you have any idea how far away that is?"_

"_How close can you get me?" Link asked._

"_Not very," the sailor replied, "I can get you as far as India. After that, my ship's turning around."_

"_India?"_

_The sailor stared for a minute before answering, "You've never left Japan, have you? It's about halfway to Italy."_

_Link sighed, "Only halfway?"_

"_That's as good as it's going to get, friend," the captain replied, "Nobody's going to travel all the way to Italy from here. You can catch another ship in India. MAYBE it'll take you all the way to Italy."_

"_All right," Link sighed, "How soon can you leave?"_

"_We leave tonight, with the tide," the captain answered, "Gather what you need. And be on time, I won't wait for you if you're late."_

_Link left and gathered supplies for the journey: rations, gear, and nihonshu. A lot of nihonshu. He traded some of his rupees for coin, as he would no doubt need some, and made his way back to the harbor. The ship came into view, and Link began heading towards it. But he saw something that made him stop in his tracks._

_The man in the kasa was speaking with the ship's captain._

"_Oh no. Oh no no no no no no," Link kept saying to himself, "Not good. This is not good."_

_He'd been following the same trail as the man since before Chugoku, and if he wasn't suspicious before, he would be now. Link didn't know who this man was, or what he was planning to do. All he knew was that the man wanted Soul Edge for some reason. And if this man found out that Link was after the sword too, he probably wouldn't just stand by and let Link get to it first._

_No, Link had to stay hidden. He had to stay out of the man's sight._

"_Wait! Xiuqiong…," Link thought to himself, "He went into Xiuqiong's shop right after I left… No! He's heading to the island too!"_

_He had to keep a low profile, and find some way to get there first. Link could not have this man ruin his chance to return home. He'd have to do something about it._

* * *

_The first few days of the voyage were no trouble. The entire first week was easy enough. Link stayed in his cabin as often as possible, sipping away at his supply of nihonshu or playing his ocarina. He spent most of his time alone thinking; thinking of the miserable time he'd spent in this world. Thinking of the crushing solitude and alienation he'd endured these past four years. And finally, thinking of what he would do when he finally returned home. Home, where he was surrounded by friends. Home, where the people wouldn't reject or ostracize him for something as stupid as the way he looked._

_For a time, he was satisfied with his thoughts, and his wine. But after almost two weeks of being cooped up in that small cabin, Link needed to stretch his legs. He put his hood over his head, and went to the upper deck to walk around until he was satisfied enough to go back to his seclusion. He didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention._

_Link strolled along the upper deck, and stopped to gaze out onto the horizon. The sun was setting over the ocean beautifully. The bright orange light engulfed the sky, and reflected off the sparkling blue sea. He'd never seen anything like this in Hyrule._

"_Hey," came a voice from behind him, "You're the one staying in the back cabin of the middle deck, aren't you?"_

_Link turned his head and answered, "Yes, why?"_

_The voice belonged to one of the crew. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the rails. "No reason. I just hadn't seen you since the day we left, and nobody ever goes in or out of that cabin. I just figured it had to be you."_

_Link turned his gaze back to the sea. He stared a moment longer, and was about to walk away when the sailor spoke again, "I hear some strange music coming from your cabin. The likes of which I haven't heard before."_

"_Oh no," Link muttered._

"_No, no, it's beautiful music," the man continued, "I was wondering, um… Maybe you'd like to play for the crew and passengers? We get awfully bored out here, you know? Could use something to liven the place up."_

"_No, I'm sorry," Link answered. He didn't need to get the entire ship's attention. Especially not with the stranger in the kasa onboard._

"_Oh, come one," the sailor implored, "you've got to be bored as hell cooped up in that room. This'll help us both out."_

"_I'm sorry," Link repeated._

"_Are you sure? You've got a talent for that music. Please, we'd all love to hear it."_

"_Yeah!" came the voice of another sailor, who had been listening in, "Come on!"_

_Soon, others began chiming in, encouraging Link to perform; some probably had no idea and were just adding their voice. Link headed for the door back to the lower decks. He didn't need all of this._

"_What's going on?" boomed the captain's voice, "What's all the ruckus?"_

"_It's nothing, captain," said the sailor who first approached Link, "We were just asking this passenger if he'd perform for us."_

"_Perform?"_

"_Yes sir, he plays good music in his cabin."_

"_Does he now?"_

"_Please," Link began, "just let me-"_

"_That sounds like a fine idea," the Captain beamed. He turned to Link, "You'll do it."_

"_W-what?" Link stammered._

"_You'll perform," the Captain answered, "Tonight. Or I'll have you thrown off the boat the very next time we make port."_

"_You can't be serious!"_

"_I am serious. You still need to get to India, don't you? If you want to stay on the whole way, you'll do this. Am I clear?" _

_Link looked at the floor and growled, "Yes, sir."_

_Later that night, after the sun had completely disappeared from view, Link grabbed his ocarina and made his way back to the upper deck. The few crew members that weren't working were just hanging around. A few passengers and even the captain were waiting for him._

_The captain gave Link a barrel to sit on and told him to begin playing any song he knew._

_Link's eyes darted around. No sign of the man in the kasa. He breathed a sigh of relief, cleared his throat, and brought the instrument to his lips. He blew a few random notes before finally settling on a song._

_**FAB  
FAB  
FABEDB CBAEFAB  
FAB  
FABED**_

_Saria's Song seemed to a lively, upbeat enough song to satisfy them. The few children there smiled and clapped. Some of those watching tapped their feet, or nodded their heads to the beat. A few of the sailors even did a jig to go along with the song_

"_Play another!" said one of the sailors._

_Other voices joined in, agreeing._

_And Link complied. The Song of Storms, the Scarecrow's Song, and even the tune he swore he heard every time he went to the Gerudo Desert. The people laughed, danced, and enjoyed themselves. And, despite his initial reluctance, Link was enjoying himself as well._

_Right now, he wasn't a freak. He wasn't a marked man. He wasn't something to be hated or feared. He was a regular person. One of them._

_And he enjoyed it._

"_That's some talent you've got there," the captain's voice came from behind Link. He turned is head to see the man. "This was an enjoyable night. Thank you. I'm not going to force you again, but would you mind doing this again? Just every now and then. After all, we've still got six weeks before we reach India."_

"_I don't know…," Link said quietly. This was risky. The man in the kasa hadn't been watching tonight. But that didn't guarantee he wouldn't other nights._

_But for the first time in four years, Link was genuinely happy. "I'll do it!" he said, gladly. A large smile came across his face as he stood up from the barrel. He got to his feet, and began dancing a jig along with the sailors as he played more music._

_His troubles seemed so far away. This was worth the risk._

* * *

_**FINALLY. SHEESH. ABOUT TIME I ENDED ON A HAPPY NOTE. DAMN, SAM, ALWAYS SO DEPRESSING.**_

_**Well, I'm glad to have this chapter done. I was worried I would just sit at another blank page fighting block for months again.**_

_**If you have any questions, you can ask in a review or PM me.**_

_**Tell me, what did you think? How was it? Can I make it better? How? **_


	4. When Nunchaku Hit, However

_**I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

"_DROP THE ANCHOR!" the captain's voiced boomed._

_After two months of journeying, the ship had finally reached India. This was Link's stop. _

_He was almost sad to be leaving. There was neither hide nor hair of the man in the kasa, and the music and festivities onboard the ship had truly made him enjoy himself; something that, until recently, he felt was lost to him._

_But he had to press on. "It'll all be worth it," he said to himself, "when I finally return home."_

_He paid what he owed to the ship's captain, and disembarked, carrying what was left of his supplies. The first thing he had to do was secure passage to Italy._

_He began looking around for any vessel that looked safe enough to travel on._

_It took him a few hours, but he finally managed to find a good ship and crew that would get him where he needed to go. The ship was heading for Spain, but would be making a stop in Italy. Link had a couple hours before the ship would set sail, so he took this time to restock his supplies. He acquired some more food and gear, and came across a crate of mahua, an alcoholic beverage popular in this part of the world._

_He had either drank or given away most of his nihonshu on the voyage over. After the third week, he had stopped drinking it altogether, and handed it out as he played music. He had been happy._

_Link stared at the mahua for a while longer, and then he turned away. He didn't need the liquor anymore._

* * *

_Link had his supplies put away in his room. He didn't plan on staying cooped up in his cabin as he had on the previous voyage. He strolled onto the upper deck, and looked over the railing. The port was slowly shrinking into the distance. In a little under three months, he'd be in Italy._

_He'd make his way to Sicily, and somehow, find a way to the merchant's vault. He didn't know what exactly he would do, but he knew he would do it._

_Soon, he could go home._

_He took out his ocarina, and licked his lips. He brought the instrument to his mouth, and softly played a few random notes._

_He thought, maybe they'd ask him to perform again. He'd like to be able to be a part of them again, and not return to being an outcast among them._

_He started playing the Song of Storms, and began to play louder; making sure the others could hear him._

"_Knock that off!" came the captain's voice, "Whether you do it in your cabin or not is your business. But I don't want you distracting my crew with that. They're here to work. Not dance."_

"_Yes, sir," Link said disappointedly, putting away the ocarina._

"_One more thing," the captain added, "I've noticed the sword on your back."_

_Link gulped. He had been trying to hide that. He noticed, when he first arrived in Japan, if the wrong person saw him with a sword, they'd more than likely try to fight you and test their strength. That was one of the reasons he wore the cloak._

"_If that thing leaves its sheath," the captain continued, "I'll have you thrown off my ship. Am I clear?"_

_Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes sir," he answered._

_The captain nodded and walked away. Link began making his way back to his cabin. Now, he had nothing to do. Nothing to lift his spirits._

_Maybe he shouldn't have passed on the mahua._

_Link went down to the lower deck, where his cabin was. He walked through the doorway, when suddenly, something seized him._

_He was slammed against the wall._

"_You!" his attacker said in an angered but hushed voice, "I'm wise to you. You've been following me since before Chugoku!"_

"_Oh no," Link groaned. He turned his head. Sure enough, it was the man in the kasa._

"_I thought I recognized you outside Xiuqiong's shack," he continued, "Why are you following me?"_

"_What?" Link tried to play it off as a coincidence._

"_Chugoku! The boat to India! And now here! You're tailing me. I want to know why."_

"_Tailing you?"_

"_Yes!" the man shook Link angrily, "I saw you on the other boat. You went to the upper deck to play music all the time. When I heard it here, I KNEW it was you."_

_So the man had been there. Link just hadn't seen him._

"_So…," the stranger continued, "I'll ask you again. WHY are you following me?"_

_Link just turned his head away._

"_You're after Soul Edge, aren't you?"_

_Link's eyes widened as his sight snapped back to his attacker._

"_I knew it!" the man growled, "I should've chosen a secluded alley or something, instead of that inn."_

"_Let me go," Link ordered._

"_Shut up!" the man responded, "I'm in charge here. Not you."_

_Link raised his boot and stomped on the man's foot. His thin shoes offered no protection, so he staggered back in pain. Link took this opportunity and took the man as his own captive._

_He gripped the man by the throat and pinned him against the opposite wall. The stranger growled as his piercing eyes drilled into Link's. "Put me down!" he shouted._

"_I'm in charge here. Not you," Link echoed the man's words back to him. "Now," Link continued in a much more serious tone, "You're going to stop looking for Soul Edge."_

"_What?" the man asked, angrily._

"_I can't have you getting in the way," Link said, "Stop looking for the sword."_

_The man's angry expression grew into a terrifying one. Suddenly, Link felt a strong blow to his abdomen. He immediately released the stranger and slumped back._

_With the hand that wasn't grasping Link's, the man had drawn two chained sticks, each tipped with a small blade. He began swinging them in an elaborate fashion, showing off how proficient he was with them._

_Link couldn't afford to get in a fight. Not now. He turned and ran as fast as he could, still trying to recover from the blow to his stomach. The man caught up with him and swung the sticks around some more, one of the blades slicing across the side of Link's face._

_Link brought his hand to the small wound on his face, and felt a bit of blood dripping from it. He took a moment and realized the man was no longer attacking him. He looked up and saw the man's eyes wide with shock. Link was puzzled at first, but very quickly realized what the man was staring at. Link's hood had fallen down._

"_You're not human," the man said quietly._

_Link quickly pulled his hood back up and ran away from the man. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps coming back after him. He finally made it to the upper deck, but was suddenly tackled to the floor. Grasping hold of his hood so it wouldn't fall again, Link readied himself for the collision with floor._

_In a matter of seconds, both Link and the man in the kasa were hauled to their feet by the crew._

"_What the devil are you two doing?" the captain shouted angrily, "I'll have no brawling on this ship!"_

"_That man!" said the man in the kasa, signaling towards Link, "he- he isn't-"_

"_Shut up!" the captain commanded, slamming his fist into the stranger's stomach. "You're lucky I don't toss you overboard right here and now."_

"_What do we do with them, sir?" asked one of the sailors._

"_Throw them in the brig," the captain replied, "One month. Each."_

* * *

_**Well. That's gotta suck, eh, Link?**_

_**Huzzah, I finished chapter four! I am liking this actually-being-able-to-write thing. It feels good.**_

_**So, tell me, how was it? Good? Bad? How so? Can I make it better? Can I make it worse? Forget that last question, and please review. Thank you. **_


	5. Out of the Cage, Over the Side

_**I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

"_That man isn't human!" the stranger in the kasa shouted out, "He's a devil!"_

"_Ah, shut up!" the sailor barked as he tossed the man into the cell adjacent to Link's. He hit the floor with a loud thud, and struggled to stand back up. The cell door slammed behind him, but he leapt at the bars. "DON'T LEAVE ME HERE WITH HIM! HE'S A MONSTER!"_

_The sailors merely laughed as they walked away._

_The man scooted to the far edge of his cell, as far from Link as he could get. He just sat there the entire time, staring at the Hylian with angry yet frightened eyes._

_Link chuckled a bit and closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He had to sit in this cell for an entire month, next to that imbecile. But as he thought about it more, he realized that he couldn't fault the stranger. Link had made himself far too obvious on the boat ride from Japan. He just HAD to try and have fun. He just HAD to try and fit in; fit in with people who would throw him into the ocean if they saw what was under his hood. It was his own fault he was in this mess._

_The minutes became hours. The hours became days. Day after day went by, stuck in that box. Twice a day, a sailor would come in and hand them each a bowl of slop and a cup of dirty water._

_Whatever time wasn't spent sleeping was usually spent playing the ocarina._

_After about a week, the stranger had stopped staring at Link. After the second week, he initiated conversation._

"_Why do you want the sword?" he asked, looking down at Link, his hands wrapped around the bars._

"_Are you talking to me now?" Link responded, looking up at the man._

"_Why do you want Soul Edge?" the man repeated._

_Link just laughed. "Why the sudden interest?"_

"_Why do you want Soul Edge?" he repeated sternly._

_Link sighed, and turned his head away from the man. "So I can finally go home," Link answered._

"_Home? To whatever pit of hell that spawned you?"_

_Link ignored the man and walked over to his bedroll. He laid down, his back turned to the stranger. This was the kind of person he hated; the people who demonized him. It had happened before. When he first arrived, the people fled at the sight of him. He soon realized that his ears were abnormal, and began hiding them. He had never had to hide his appearance, his heritage. It almost felt shameful to have to do it now. Just another reason for him to destroy Soul Edge and go back to Hyrule as fast as he could._

_The remaining two weeks went by slowly. Every now and then, the stranger would attempt to taunt Link in some way. But for the most part, they kept to themselves, the only thing breaking the silence being Link's ocarina playing._

_The last day of the month came. Early in the morning, the captain shouted both prisoners awake._

"_Good morning, gentlemen," his taunting voice drawled, "I trust you two had enough time to resolve your troubles with each other." The captain laughed an ugly laugh, and continued, "I don't want a repeat incident. If this happens again, it's not back to the brig. I'll have you tossed over the side, gentlemen. Am I clear?"_

_Neither answered._

"_AM I CLEAR?"_

"_Yes, sir," Link answered._

"_Yes sir," echoed the man in the kasa._

"_Good," the captain smiled, and he pointed to the stranger, "From what I understand, you started this. I'll be keeping your little toys until the end of our voyage." He spat at the man's feet before turning to leave._

_The sailor with him opened Link's cell first, and handed him back the Master Sword. "You've been allowed to have this back," the sailor said, "Don't make the captain regret this decision."_

_Link nodded and took the sword. He began making his way back to his cabin before they released the other man._

* * *

_Link took a razor he had packed and began to shave off the scraggly beard he had begun growing during that month spent in the brig._

_He wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't about to go back out there with that maniac running free. But could he really handle an entire month and a half cooped up in his cabin after already spending a month cooped up in the brig?_

_He decided to try and stay in his cabin as long as he could._

_Every day Link grew more and more restless. Playing the ocarina no longer soothed him. Walking around the open space in his cabin wasn't enough. This was no different than the brig, except that the stranger wasn't around to bother him. He was getting irritable and anxious. The slightest disturbances caused him to jump. The creaks and groans of the wood had him reaching for his blade._

_He managed to stay cooped up for three weeks. After that, he couldn't bear it anymore. He put on his cloak and covered his head with the hood, then proceeded to march to the upper deck. He had to move around. He had to do just do something, anything!_

_Link cautiously walked out on deck, his eyes darting left and right, looking out for the man in the kasa. Fortunately, there was no sign of him. But Link kept his guard up._

_He walked around the upper deck, uneasily. After about ten minutes of pacing around nervously, he finally began to settle down. He stared out to the sea for a moment. His nerves calmed._

_He bartered some mahua off of a sailor, and guzzled it down. He began to feel a little better for some reason, so he got hold of another._

_By the time he went back to his cabin, he had gotten enough of the stuff to last him until the voyage ended. It was a distraction from the fact that he was truly alone in this world, and would continue to be until he found that sword._

_Another day went by, and Link remained in his cabin._

_That day turned into two. Then into three, and then four. Then five, six, and seven. That week became two, and that became three. Soon, he had to get moving again. The restlessness had caught up to him, and he could not just sit there any longer._

_He once again left his cabin and wandered the deck. After ten minutes of nervously pacing around, keeping his eyes peeled for the stranger in the kasa, Link began to relax. He brought a bottle of mahua to his lips, as he looked over the rail._

_He began to realize that the journey was almost over. They were keeping near the coast. In a matter of days, they would make port. He'd be able to get to Sicily, and from there, to the merchant's island. Link smiled. His journey was nearing its end. The road back to Hyrule was in view._

_A hand seized his arm, and his hood was tugged off._

"_SEE!" a familiar voice shouted, "HE'S NOT HUMAN! HE'S A DEMON!"_

_The man in the kasa had snuck up on him. The man's hand tugged on Link's ear. He grunted and winced in pain as the man knocked him to the floor, still gripping his ear._

"_YOU'VE LET A DEVIL ON YOUR SHIP, CAPTAIN!" he continued shouting, "YOU'VE BROUGHT HELL TO EVERYONE ONBOARD THIS VESSEL!"_

_Passengers gasped, and crew stared. They all saw now, and Link knew it. It was happening all over again. What would they do? Would they kill him? Beat him?_

"_THROW IT OVERBOARD!" one voice shouted._

"_KILL IT!" came another._

"_GET RID OF HIM!"_

_Soon, the entire ship was booming with shouts of hatred and violence. Link was seized from all sides. Sailors and passengers alike grabbed hold of him, shouting all manner of hateful things at him._

_They pitched him over the side of the boat, and he fell into the sea._

_He rose to the surface, gasping for air, struggling to stay afloat. Soon, those still on the ship began throwing things at him; barrels and crates of all sizes. Link grabbed hold of one, and clung to it for dear life._

_The ship slowly drifted away, still loud with the shouts of those onboard._

* * *

_It seemed like Link was hanging onto that barrel for hours. He had no clue where he was, or which way to go. He sat there, bobbing up and down. The coast had faded from view, and all he saw in every direction was more ocean._

_Soon, night fell. He was getting cold and tired. But he couldn't let go of the barrel. He forced himself to stay awake, usually by plunging his head into the water. All night he did this._

_When morning came, he was so ready to just give up. But he saw land. He didn't know what land it was, but right now, he didn't care. He began kicking his legs, propelling himself in the direction of the shore._

_Before long, he had reached it. He set foot on the sand, and walked away from the water. He fell to his knees, then rolled onto his back. He lay there, on the warm sands for hours._

_By the time the sun had reached its highest point, he decided it was time to get up. He may have found land, but he had no idea where this land was. The only noticeable thing about this island was the large mountain in the center. Link walked around the island, looking for some sign of life. But he found none._

_Four hours, Link searched, until it began to rain. Lightning cracked the sky, and thunder roared across the heavens. Link had to find shelter somewhere. He roamed the island a bit longer, managing to find a cave. He stepped inside, but it was pitch black. He sat down, clutched his knees, and tried to think. Then, the idea came to him._

_He stood up, only to crouch back down, and raised his right fist into the air. Then, he slammed his left into the ground. A wave of fire shot out from his location, illuminating the cave, giving him a good glimpse at what was around him._

_When the spell ended, there was still light. There were many torches along the wall and sticks on the ground that had caught fire._

_Link grabbed one of the ones that wasn't almost entirely ash, and proceeded down the path, lighting any torch he found along the way. _

_As he went further and further in, he began to notice bones littering the path. Soon, he found a pile of corpses, each body carelessly tossed onto the other. He drew the Master Sword, and proceeded with caution._

_He continued walking, when suddenly, he fell through the ground. The floor beneath him caved in. When he finally fell onto a surface, he dropped his torch. It rolled down the slope, and made its way towards a dark liquid; oil._

_Once it made contact, everything lit up. Link looked around. Armor, weapons, and jewels as far as the eye could see._

_This had to be it. The merchant's vault._

* * *

_**TWO IN ONE DAY, MOST EXCELLENT.**_

_**I didn't expect to get this done, but I'm certainly not complaining. I'm glad I was able to do this.**_

_**So, Link has at last found the vault of the Merchant of Death. Now he can finally find Soul Edge and destroy it. Then, he can finally return home.**_

_**So, tell me. What do you think? Did you like it? Why? Did you hate it? Why? What can I do to improve it?**_


	6. Fu-ma

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

She grunted as she jumped out of the way, a kunai landing where her foot had been. Her assailant vanished, and she prepared for his assault. She raised her fist swiftly, striking her attacker in the face. As he fell back unconscious, she raised her daggers once more, preparing for the rest of her opponents.

A large, monstrous man, with a large firearm attached to his left, and only, hand, stood before her, blocking her access to the shrine. He simply smiled a hideous smile, and then roared, "GET HER!"

More ninjas appeared from behind him, and rushed her. She deflected each of their attacks with her knives, and leapt out from her position. She landed behind one of them, and lunged. She dug her blade into the man's arm, and quickly withdrew it. She kicked him to the ground, and prepared herself for the rest of the group.

One tried attacking her from behind, but she quickly turned around and cut him across his chest, then delivered a blow to his abdomen, knocking the man to the dirt. Almost immediately afterwards, another one tried the same strategy, only to have similar results. Two more tried attacking her from both sides simultaneously, but she quickly leapt out of the way, and they only succeeded in defeating each other. The last of them appeared behind her, and was prepared to sink his blade into her neck, but she instantaneously brought up one of hers to block. She slashed at him with her other dagger, almost managing to cut him, but he dodged. He slid back, and prepared to run at the woman again, raising his kunai over his head. The female ninja ducked, and a loud boom rang out as the man fell to the floor.

She turned her head to the monstrous man who had been commanding her attackers, and saw smoke rising from the small cannon on his wrist.

"Dammit," he growled, "Missed."

"Out of my way, Geki!" the woman commanded.

"Sorry, Taki," he replied, raising a giant club, "my orders are to kill you. And, unlike you, I follow my orders." He then began running towards Taki, roaring, his weapon raised high into the air.

Taki prepared to dodge, and as soon as she felt he was close enough, she jumped out of the way.

His club came crashing down, leaving a small crater where it had hit the earth. He snarled, and turned around, looking for any sign of his target.

"WHERE ARE YOU?" he roared, "YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!"

Taki jumped down onto his back, and sunk her blade into his shoulder. He howled in pain, and attempted to shake her off. She held on, despite his wild thrashing, plunging her other dagger into his back.

He began struggling even harder at this, finally succeeding in throwing her from his back. He snarled, and turned back at her, raising his hand, and firing a second shot. She quickly dashed away from her position, but the round grazed her arm, taking quite a bit of skin with it.

"Gah!" she grunted, clutching the wound as she fell to the ground. She quickly tried lifting herself back to her feet, returning her eyes to Geki. He laughed an ugly laugh as he lifted his club once more.

"Stop struggling. You're only making it hurt more," he said, still chuckling. She quickly bolted to the side, and began running around him as he brought his club down to where she had previously stood.

She once again leapt onto his back, and pulled her weapons out from his back. He screamed in pain, and began thrashing about, easily shaking her off. He turned to her and breathed heavily.

"We both know you can't scratch me without that cannon on your wrist, Geki," Taki taunted him, "and you've used both of your rounds."

Geki's eye twitched in anger. He raised his club once more and charged at Taki. He swung his weapon at her, but she quickly moved from its path, causing it to break the support beam behind her. She rolled around to his backside, and stabbed him near his spine. He roared in pain as she removed her blade. He spun around, and ran at her again, ramming himself into the opposite support.

Geki staggered back, shook his head. He reoriented himself, and caught sight of Taki. His expression turned into one of rage, but suddenly confusion, as he saw Taki grin. The roof gave way, with no supports to hold it up, and collapsed on top of the giant man.

With her opponents down, for now, Taki brought out a roll of bandages she had, and tried treating her arm as best she could, while not wasting too much time before proceeding into the shrine.

She made her way into the shrine through what remained of the entrance. While the area near the entrance was illuminated, further inside the shrine was dark; almost pitch black.

"Taki…," came a familiar voice. The Fu-ma clan's grandmaster, Toki, stepped forth from the shadows, madness flaring in his eyes. "You're too late. The Modotakuyo is already within me. Its strength is my own. Do you really think you stand a chance?"

She did not answer, only raising her blades.

Toki smiled a twisted smile, and extended his hand. "The Mekki-maru," he said, his eyes fixated on the darker blade, "I don't want to have to kill you, Taki. Not after all the time we've spent together. Give me the Mekki-maru, and all your trespasses against the Fu-ma will be forgiven."

Taki's eyes narrowed, and the scowl adorning her face grew. She was NOT going to give into this old man, no matter how much he looked like the man who raised her.

Toki's smile faded, and his expression turned to a grimace. "Fine," he spat, "I'll just pry the Mekki-maru from your cold, lifeless fingers." He drew his sword from the bamboo scabbard at his side, and prepared for battle.

He lunged at Taki, who deflected his blow with her own blade. She back flipped away from him, kicking Toki in the jaw in the process.

Toki ran his hand across his jaw a few times, and spat out drops of blood. He snarled, and once again charged towards his former student. He thrust his sword at her, leaving a small gash in her side. She clutched the wound with one hand, and mad a swipe at Toki with the other. He quickly scooted back, narrowly avoiding Taki's blade.

She regained her balance, and made a dash towards the old man. He grabbed her by her throat, and his other hand went for her abdomen. He managed to lift her up, and throw her into the darkness that engulfed the inner shrine.

She hit the wooden floor, and rolled a bit. When she managed to still herself, she staggered to her feet, and readied her blades. She could see nothing, and heard only her own heartbeat.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain go across her back. She groaned in pain, as she slumped away. Then another slice came across her stomach. She fell to her knees, her arm over the wound.

Toki's laughter echoed throughout the darkness.

"Poor Taki. If only you had done as you were told," he mocked, "If you had killed Hachibei and brought back the Mekki-maru, you could be happy and free right now."

She cried out in pain as another sharp pain cut across her back.

"Hahahaha!" he laughed, "you can't see a thing, can you? Unfortunate. I can see everything in here."

Taki closed her eyes. She began to listen. She began to sense. She extended her fist swiftly to the right, making impact with something for a brief moment. Toki's voice grunted as whatever she hit quickly pulled away, making a thudding sound. She brought her arm back in, and then extended her leg with force.

"Ow, dammit! What the hell?" Toki's voice cursed, as she made contact yet again.

Suddenly, Toki's voice roared in anger, no doubt preparing for another attack. Taki twisted her entire body around, the side of her foot colliding with something. Once again, Toki's voice emitted a groan of pain. Taki moved towards the noise, ready for the next strike.

For moments, nothing came. Toki's voice had gone silent. Taki was starting to become uneasy. He could still sense his presence, but it was still; calm.

The peace remained for moments more. Then, Taki threw her lighter blade to her left, and it made a piercing noise. Toki cried out in pain, and something fell with a thud.

Taki leapt up, towards the noise, and soon, she was out of the darkness flooding the inner shrine.

Toki lie on the floor, blood coming from his chest, and the Rekki-maru in his hand. He had removed it himself.

"Taki…?" Toki said, weakly. His voice was no longer so sly or malevolent.

Taki looked into his eyes. The madness that had been so prevalent seemed to have vanished.

"…Grandmaster? Toki?"

Suddenly, Toki's eyes went white, and his mouth opened as wide as it could.

A pale blue mass of smoke streamed out from his throat, and began gathering in the air. It took the form of a hideous, demonic face. The Modotakuyo, the Gel-o-Fury, was leaving Toki's body. It screeched, its hideous eyes staring at Taki, and then just disappeared.

As soon as it was gone, Taki quickly went to her former master's side. He was still breathing, though barely. Had the all the evil in him vanished? Or only that of the demon?

"Grandmaster Toki!" came a voice from behind her.

Taki's head shot up, to look at the newcomers. Several Fu-ma ninja stood before her, all thinking she had just killed Toki. Taki swiped the Rekki-maru away from Toki's hand, and made a run towards the other Fu-ma. She quickly leapt over them and dashed into the woods.

* * *

_**TA-DA! CHAPTER SIX!**_

_**Hey. This wasn't about Link in the Merchant's vault at all! What gives?!**_

_**I figured I'd focus on another character for a bit. Link's not going anywhere.**_

_**So, tell me. What did you think? Don't just say "good" or "nice story", that doesn't help me. Tell me, what made it good? Or if it was bad, what made it bad? How can I fix it? What could I have done better?**_


	7. Struggling On

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

Taki had been running through the woods for what seemed like hours. She was beginning to feel weak. Her energy was running low, her injuries were making it extremely painful to keep going, and she had lost a fair amount of blood from the wounds she sustained in her battle with Toki.

"Fighting those I once called family. How did it come to this?" she asked herself.

She slowed down, and eventually stopped running altogether. She rested her back on a tree, and slid to the ground. Her breathing was labored, and her body was weak. She grabbed what few bandages she had left, and managed to apply them across her injuries as best she could. She knew she had to find someone who could actually help her, and she had to do it soon.

She staggered to her feet, and heard rustling coming from behind her. Someone was coming. She did her best to conceal herself behind the trees and shrubbery.

The rustling turned into clear footsteps, and they began to come closer. She grabbed her blade and prepared to strike. Another second passed, and the footsteps were closer still. She rapidly extended her arm out, the blade pointing towards the sound. A man gave a weak cry of pain, as the Rekki-maru passed through his throat. Taki withdrew her weapon, and the man slumped to the floor. He was indeed one of the Fu-ma. They were still pursuing her. She sheathed her weapon and began to run off as best she could. She had to find refuge soon.

She trekked through the woods a while longer, getting weaker with every passing moment. This was not good, not at all. The forest was already black as night, and she had no idea in which direction she was headed, save that it was the opposite way of the shrine.

More time passed, and it had become an intense struggle just to keep walking. Taki wavered with each step, her arm clutching her abdominal wound. But she kept moving, because she could now see a light coming from behind the trees. She might be able to find help there.

She lurched closer and closer, finally stepping out of the woods. She could make out a village further ahead. That was it! That was Taki's salvation! She just had to keep moving; just a little while longer. Slowly, she made her way towards the town. As she got closer, she saw that there was nary a soul in sight.

Taki weakly hobbled through the streets. "Help!" she cried out, in a weak, hoarse voice, "Help! Somebody!" She clung to the wall, feebly making her way around. She softly rapped on the first door she came across. "Help!" she cried out again. Nobody came. It was a futile effort.

The ninja limped across the road, knocking on the house on that side of the way. Again, nothing.

"Help…! Someone…"

She tried crossing the path again, heading to another door. About halfway through the street, Taki fell to her knees, and then collapsed entirely.

"What the hell is going on out here?" a man shouted, opening the door to his home. He looked over and saw Taki lying in the road.

* * *

_The year was 1583 AD. A young lady in a crimson bodysuit and dark mask entered the inn. The place was almost empty. At the table sat a beautiful young lady with her hair tied into a tail, and a tall man in kasa._

_Near the fireplace, an old man was cleaning the inside of a cup while humming a song. He looked up and saw the girl in the doorway. He immediately stopped and dropped the cup to the floor._

"_Chie. Long," he said to the other two, "Get out of here. Now."_

_The other two stood up, with the man stepping in front of the lady, prepared to fight._

"_No, Long!" the old man shouted, "Get Chie out of here!"_

"_Calm yourself, Hachibei," the masked woman said, "I just want the Mekk-maru. Nothing else."_

_At this the old man settled down. "I think you'd better follow me, Taki," he said, beckoning her to come with him as he moved towards the stairs. "Chie, you and Long mind the front, please."_

_Taki followed Hachibei up the stairs, and through the hall. "I'm surprised the blade is all you want," the old man said, opening the door to his room, "That's not like the Fu-ma at all."_

"_My orders are to kill you and Chie and retrieve the Mekki-maru," Taki replied, "But Toki won't know any better."_

"_I suppose," Hachibei continued, crouching down to retrieve something, "that I should be grateful it was you who found me, and not one of the others." He grabbed a small wooden box from his strongbox, and presented it to Taki. "The Mekki-maru," he continued._

_Taki reached for it, but Hachibei slammed the box shut. She glared at the old man._

"_I'm sure you've noticed the changes in Toki recently, Taki," Hachibei said, "He's been growing angrier; more violent."_

_Taki said nothing. She just lowered her head and turned her eyes away._

"_So you have," Hachibei continued, "Toki isn't himself. There's an evil force influencing his mind." He tapped his hand on the box he was holding. "The Mekki-maru; THIS is the cause of Toki's madness."_

"_The Mekki-maru?" Taki asked._

"_This blade is no ordinary blade," the old man explained, "It was forged by a demon. It has a terrible influence on those susceptible. Toki is one of them." Hachibei handed Taki the box, and continued, "The Mekki-maru is not doing this on its own, Taki."_

"_What?"_

"_There's another force acting on it. A terrible, terrible one. I don't know what it is, or where to find it. So I did what I figured was the next best thing; I took the Mekki-maru away," Hachibei told the ninja._

_Taki took the Mekki-maru, and began making her way out the door._

"_Taki," Hachibei called to her. She paused to look back. "I'm giving the Mekki-maru to you to save Chie. But let me warn you; should that blade find its way into Toki's hands, his madness and lust for power will increase hundredfold. Remember that."_

_Taki lowered her head in thought. What was she to do?_

_She continued on her way._

"_Don't forget to say goodbye to Chie," Hachibei called after her, "She's missed you."_

* * *

_**I will admit, this chapter seems to just drag itself along. But then again, Taki's dragging herself along the entire time, isn't she?**_

_**Possibly accidental symbolism aside, tell me, what did you think? Good? Bad? How so? Can I make it better? How so?**_


	8. Deceit

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

"_I don't see the Mekki-maru with you," the giant man's deep voice rumbled, "Why have you returned?"_

_A giant man with a scarred face and cannon-like gauntlets strapped onto his wrists blocked Taki's path. His dark eyes and twisted grin bore into her as she looked at him._

"_I've news to deliver to the grandmaster," Taki replied, "Step aside, Geki."_

"_And what news could be so important that you should bother the grandmaster without having retrieved the Mekki-maru?"_

"_Step aside, Geki."_

_The large man spat at Taki's feet, and moved out of her path._

"_As you wish, princess," he snorted, walking away._

_Taki entered the grandmaster's chamber, and knelt. "Taki…," Toki's soothing voice spoke._

"_Grandmaster, I have news concerning Hachibei and the Mekki-maru," Taki replied._

"_Always so formal, Taki," Toki chuckled, stepping forward, laying down a small tray in front of her. He grabbed the pot and poured tea into a glass, setting it down in front of Taki, then proceeded to serve himself a cup. "Drink," he smiled, "And tell me, what is this news?" Toki brought the tea to his lips, and stared Taki down._

_This was a soft side Toki rarely showed to anyone other than Taki, and rarely showed Taki anything but. It had earned her the ire of many of the clansmen, especially Geki, who considered himself Toki's right hand. _

"_I found Hachibei," Taki began explaining._

"_Did you, now?" Toki interrupted before she could continue, "Well, where was he? Where's the Mekki-maru? I don't see it with you." His warm, friendly demeanor had faded; it became chilling and ominous._

"_I don't have it, grandmaster," Taki replied, her head down._

"_So why did you come back?" Toki asked, his anger building._

"_I found Hachibei dead," Taki answered, "From what I understand, a tall man who had been staying with them, Long, had killed both Hachibei and Chie, and fled with the Mekki-maru."_

"_AND YOU DIDN'T PURSUE HIM?!" Toki shouted, absolutely enraged, "YOU JUST WALTZED BACK HERE EMPTY-HANDED, THINKING IT WOULD BE OKAY?!"_

"_I didn't see Long myself!" Taki objected, "I only have what the witnesses told me."_

_Toki yelled out in anger, as he knocked the tea cup out of Taki's hands. He tossed the tray aside and stood up, grabbing Taki by the neck of her bodysuit. "YOU DIDN'T LOOK FOR ANY LEADS?" he screamed, "YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY TO FIND THIS MAN?!"_

_Taki leaned her head away from Toki, closing her eyes and turning her cheek. This rage; this violent side was not a trait he displayed regularly. And he had never shown it to Taki. Toki thrust Taki away, dropping her to the floor, and turned his back on her._

"_Get out!" he commanded, "Don't you dare come back without the Mekki-maru."_

_Taki picked herself up and walked out the door. Geki was waiting for her, a satisfied look on his face._

"_Looks like the Fu-ma princess isn't so high and mighty now," he chuckled, "The grandmaster's at last seeing you aren't all you're cracked up to be."_

_Taki turned her head away and continued walking. From behind her, she heard Toki emerge from his chamber._

"_Geki!" he called, "Get over here! Gather the clan. We've a new target."_

* * *

_Taki stood on a bridge, looking at the river. She was dressed in a rather casual manner, to avoid attracting attention._

_Toki had issued that the entire clan pursue and kill Long to retrieve the Mekki-maru. This was different. The order for Hachibei and Chie's deaths were understandable; they had left the clan and become rogue. But Long? He knew nothing that would endanger the clan's secrecy. What was so special about the Mekki-maru that Toki would order the death of someone so distant from the clan's affairs?_

"_Taki?" came a voice. Taki turned her head. It was Long._

"_Ah, Chang," she began._

"_Chang?" Long asked, puzzled, "It's -"_

"_It's good to see you again, __**Chang**__," Taki cut Long off, a somewhat frantic tone in her voice. On her face was an expression that seemed to scream, "__**Don't!**__"_

"_Good to see you again as well, Taki," Long continued, seeming to understand. "I got your note to meet with you here. I must say, I almost didn't recognize you."_

"_Walk with me," she ordered, moving off the bridge. Long followed._

"_What did you want to tell me, Taki?"_

"_I met with my overseer yesterday, about your father-in-law's offer," she said, "he was not happy. He felt it was an insult, and vowed to destroy your father-in-law's reputation and business."_

"_Oh dear," Long said, seeming only to halfway grasp what Taki was trying to communicate._

"_Yes, very unfortunate," Taki continued, "I advise that you and your wife move out of this region. Take her father with you. For your own safety." _

_Li Long's eyes widened, as he fully realized what Taki was saying._

"_You're sure?" he asked._

"_Positive," she answered._

"_HEY!" a voice came calling from behind the two, "HEY!"_

_Long and Taki both turned to face the caller. He ran up to Long, "You! You live with the innkeeper, don't you?"_

"_Yes," Long answered, "Why? What's going on?"_

"_There's been a fight!" the man answered, "You've got to hurry, they think the innkeeper's daughter is hurt!"_

"_WHAT?" Long asked, in shock, "I'm sorry, I have to go," he said, turning to Taki. He handed her a note and took off._

_Taki looked on as Long ran off towards Hachibei's inn. She hoped Chie was all right, but she could not go back. The entire reason for their meeting like this was because Toki was no doubt having her followed._

_She continued on her way and looked down at the note._

"_**Taki,**_

_**I apologize if Long wasted your time. He knows nothing of our past among the Fu-ma.**_

_**As I told you when you had first found us, I do not know what it is that is affecting the Mekki-maru and Toki, but I do know someone who might have an idea. There is an old merchant sailor by the name of Tanaka, spends most of his time on-land on Osumi. He is a very reliable informant I used many times during my career in the Fu-ma. You will fare better if you tell him I sent you.**_

_**Best of luck, Hachibei."**_

* * *

_**CAP**__**Ì**__**TULO OCHO!**_

_**Fun fact: I was originally going to have Xiuqiang be Tanaka. But I decided to use an actual character that time around. Yaaay.**_

_**And yes, Geki did have both arms at one point. He had a cannon on the other one too.**_

_**So, tell me, what did you think? Good? Bad? Mediocre?**_

_**Ugh, mediocre actually sounds worse than bad.**_

_**What can I do to improve?**_


	9. Tanaka

**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**

**Please review. Thank you.**

* * *

_Weeks had passed. Taki had finally arrived at Yakushima, largest island of the Osumi archipelago. This was the spot where she was most likely to find Tanaka._

_According to Hachibei, he was an old merchant sailor; not exactly a specific description, but it would have to do. She began to walk around the harbor, asking for the man named Tanaka._

"_I know a Tanaka," a voice came from behind her. Taki turned to face the man. He was a young sailor, about her age. "Maybe I can show you to him. Maybe it's the right one."_

"_How kind of you to offer," Taki said skeptically, crossing her arms. _

_He smiled, catching the tone of her voice, "Ah, I knew you looked smart. No, I won't do it for free. It __**is**__ going to cost you."_

"_How much?"_

"_Twenty silver."_

"_**Twenty**__?" Taki asked, in a somewhat outraged voice, "Just to show me the way?"_

"_How badly do you want to find this Tanaka?" the sailor smiled._

_Taki grumbled, "You'll get your money once you take me to him."_

"_All right, then. Follow me," the sailor beckoned, strolling off._

_The sailor walked through a crowd of people, sticking close the water. Soon, he took a sharp turn and began leading Taki away from the harbor. Further and further into the town they went, losing complete sight of the harbor. Something wasn't right here._

"_All right, that's far enough," Taki said, stopping right outside an alleyway, "What's the big deal here? Tanaka is a sailor. Why did we leave the harbor?"_

_The sailor smiled and whistled. Several men appeared from the alley and from the direction of the harbor. Taki was surrounded._

"_Hold her down!" the young sailor commanded, "I go first."_

_One of the larger men tackled Taki to the floor. Other grabbed her by the arms and shoulders, attempting to pin her to the ground. The young sailor crouched down and grabbed one of her legs._

"_Such a beautiful body," he smiled, reaching for the belt of her robe._

_Taki swiftly raised her other leg and rammed it into the sailor's face, knocking him to the ground. As she did not put up any resistance to their attempts at pinning her, the thugs were caught off guard. The ninja twisted her arms out of their hold, and delivered a shuto chop into each of their necks. The thugs collapsed, and she rose to her feet. Reaching into her robe, she drew her blade, and prepared herself for the rest of them._

_One of the sailors charged at her, but she sidestepped him and delivered a fierce kick to his back. Another thug tried grabbing her from behind, but she rammed the back of her head into his face, knocking him down. Two of them attempted to rush her at once. Taki slashed her blade across the chest of one, and quickly spun around, leaving a gash in the other's face. One more approached Taki, and took a swing at the ninja. She ducked under it and stabbed the thug in the stomach. She withdrew her blade, and pushed the man to the ground. She turned her head to the very few that remained standing, and raised her blade. _

_The leftover men didn't even bother trying to fight Taki, they just cut and run. As soon as they were gone, Taki, crouched down over the sailor who had first got her attention. He began to groan, so Taki grabbed him by his scalp and lifted his head up._

"_Wake up!" she ordered._

_A look of fear came across the sailor's face. "Don't hurt me! I'll do anything you want!"_

"_Do you really know a sailor named Tanaka?" she questioned him._

"_Yes!" he answered, fear filling his voice._

"_You're going to take me to him," Taki replied sternly, "Understand?"_

"_Yes! Anything you say!"_

_Taki lifted the sailor to his feet and held her blade to his back. "If you try to run," she whispered to him, "I'll kill you." _

_The sailor whimpered a bit. Taki kicked him in the back and ordered him to get moving._

_The sailor lead Taki back to the harbor, through all the crowds of people. Soon, they were in front of the very same ship he approached her in front of._

"_This is it," he told her._

"_Get onboard," she ordered, pressing the Rekki-maru against his back._

"_Permission to come aboard, Captain?" the sailor called out. _

"_Granted!" a gruff voice shouted back._

_Taki followed the young man on board the ship._

"_Show me to Tanaka," she told the sailor, once again pressing the blade against his spine. He whimpered and pointed towards an elderly man sitting on a barrel. She dug the blade a little further into his back, drawing a small bit of blood, and told the sailor to keep moving. They approached the old man, and Taki spoke up. "Are you Tanaka?"_

"_Why?" the old man asked, "Who wants to know?"_

"_Hachibei sent me."_

_The old man's eyes widened. "Hachibei's still alive, is he? Yeah, I'm Tanaka."_

_Taki pulled the blade away from the sailor's back, and shoved him to the ground. "Get lost. You'd better hope I don't see you again." The young sailor scampered away, shouting in fear. Taki turned her attention back to Tanaka. "I need to talk to you about something."_

"_Shhhh," Tanaka quieted her, "Not out here. If you're one of Hachibei's, we'd best wait 'till we're below to talk."_

_Taki followed the old man to the lower deck. He opened the door to his cabin, and offered to let her in. After what had just happened, she was understandably apprehensive. She drew her blade. "After you," she insisted._

_Tanaka stepped inside, and Taki followed him. The old sailor sat down on a chair, and extended his arm towards the bed. "Sit," he offered._

"_I think I'll stand," Taki replied._

"_Suit yourself," Tanaka answered, placing his hands behind his head, "So, what does old Hachibei want?"_

"_He says you're a reliable informant," Taki answered._

"_Never steered him wrong before," Tanaka smiled, "What does he want?"_

"_What do you know about this?" Taki asked, bringing out the box Hachibei gave her. She opened it and the Mekki-maru glowed inside._

"_The Mekki-maru," Tanaka mused, "He was right. It is unpleasant to be around."_

"_So, you sense the wicked aura from it as well?" Taki asked._

"_It's kind of hard not to," Tanaka answered, "Is there anything specific you want to know about it?"_

"_Hachibei said that the clan's grandmaster-"_

"_Upupup!" Tanaka silenced Taki, "I don't want to hear nothing about your clan. The more I know about you, the more disposable I become. Just tell me what you want to know."_

"_This sword is corrupting someone I know and care for," Taki reworded her sentence, "Hachibei said that another force is acting on it. I need to know what."_

"_Heh," Tanaka chuckled, "Never woulda pegged a Fu-ma as the caring type."_

"_What do you know?" Taki asked._

"_All right, all right, easy," Tanaka said, grabbing a bottle of nihonshu. "From what I've heard, and I've heard a lot, the Mekki-maru isn't evil. It's a channel for it."_

"_A channel?"_

"_Yeah, a channel," Tanaka repeated, taking a sip of the nihonshu. "Now, from what I've learned in my travels, there're only a handful of things that can use this Mekki-maru as a channel."_

"_What are they?" Taki asked, desperate to know._

"_Most have been destroyed or sealed away," Tanaka continued, "The only remaining major threat that comes to mind is an ancient sword."_

"_What is it?"_

"_A sword of legend. It's known by many names. 'The Sword of Salvation.' 'The Hero's Sword.' 'The Ultimate Weapon.' But its true name is Soul Edge."_

"'_The Sword of Salvation?'" Taki asked, confused, "'The Hero's Sword?'"_

"_Monikers applied by those ignorant to its nature," Tanaka replied, taking another swig of nihonshu, "Don't let its nicknames, fool you. That blade is evil."_

"_Do you know where it is?"_

"_No," Tanaka answered, "No one does. Except maybe its owner."_

"_Who's its owner?" she asked, her patience running out._

"_Years ago, there was a merchant in the west who wanted to add Soul Edge to his collection," Tanaka explained, "He set up all manner of expeditions."_

"_WHERE IS SOUL EDGE?"_

"_Keep your voice down!" Tanaka shouted back, "You'll have every adventurer in port tailing you if you let word of this slip." The old man took a drink, and continued his tale, "The merchant hired a notorious pirate; Cervantes de Leon. Rumor is, the pirate finally found Soul Edge after years of searching. Took off it an Englishman whose ship he attacked. After that, he just disappeared."_

"_Disappeared?" Taki asked, frustratedly, "What do you mean? He can't just be-"_

"_He can and he did," Tanaka interrupted her, "But that doesn't mean there's no trace left. He comes from a town in the west. Port Valencia. Spain. Your best bet will be to check there."_

"_Thank you," Taki bowed to the man. She turned to leave._

_Cervantes de Leon. Port Valencia, Spain. She had somewhere to go. Soon, she'd be able to free Toki from the Mekki-maru's influence._

* * *

_**Well. That got kinda awkward to write. Kinda. A little. Certianly dramatic. Kinda. Somewhat.**_

_**So. Now Taki has a lead. TO PORT VALENCIA!**_

_**Tell me, what did you think? Good? Bad? How? Any improvements that can be made?**_


	10. VICTORY BELONGS TO THE LAST ONE STANDING

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_Port Valencia, Spain. After six months of spending her time on ships meditating, Taki's journey was nearing its end._

_This was the home of Soul Edge's owner. She'd just have to find and kill them, and Toki would finally be free from the evil influence acting on him. He would return to being the kind man that raised her._

_There was just one problem. She had no further leads. With nowhere else to turn, Taki decided that maybe she should look for a tavern or an inn. Perhaps there, she'd find something._

_She proceeded to walk down the streets of Valencia, catching quite a few eyes with her obviously foreign wardrobe. If she was hoping to remain inconspicuous, she had failed._

_Soon, she felt something sharp against her back._

"_No te muevas," a voice came, and then spoke a language she understood, "Your money. All of it."_

_Taki spun around and delivered a kick to the thief's head, knocking him back. He straightened himself up, and swung his knife at her._

_Taki flipped away from the thief, and drew the Rekki-maru, preparing to fight back. The thief grinned, and lunged towards her. She deflected his blade with her own, and attempted to sweep the thief to the floor. The man tumbled to the ground, and grunted in pain. He looked up, and saw Taki's blade in his face. He fell from his knees onto his back, and scooted away from Taki before standing up and running off._

"_Very nice," another voice called, "very nice indeed, stranger."_

_A man stepped forth from an alleyway. He gave off an air that seemed to ask people to fight him._

"_What do you want?" Taki asked coldly as she raised her blade, obviously wary of another attack._

"_You fight well," the man said, "But how would you fare…," he continued, drawing a large knife, "…against someone tougher than a drunken robber?"_

_The man ran at Taki, and took a swing, actually cutting the front of her kimono._

"_Your wardrobe is ill-suited for this, miss!" he chuckled, taking another swing._

_Taki crouched under his blade, and jumped up, slashing her blade across his chest. The man grunted as he staggered back. He ran his hand across his wound and took a look at the blood. He smiled and put away his knife._

"_Heh," he laughed to himself, "You're a decent fighter, miss. I had at least expected to scratch you before you scratched me. Unless you count the cut on your robe, I was wrong."_

"_What do you want with me?" Taki asked the man, raising her blade._

"_Relax," he told her, "I'm not here to hurt you."_

"_Then why did you attack me?"_

"_To see how well you fight," he answered, and extended his hand, "No hard feelings?"_

_Taki did not take his hand. She narrowed her eyes, giving the man a cold, menacing stare. Sensing the hostility, the man withdrew his hand. "I'll cut to the chase, then," he continued, "My… __**employers**__ are always looking for new talent."_

_Taki remained silent, her unblinking eyes drilling into the man's own._

"_Yes, um…," he continued, becoming uneasy under her stare, "My employers run a… well, to be blunt, a fighting ring."_

"_And you want me to participate?" Taki questioned._

"_Exactly," the man smiled, "If you win, it'll pay a good deal of money."_

_Taki saw an opportunity. "I don't want just money," she told him, "I want some information."_

"_Oh?" the man inquired, "And what might this information pertain to?"_

"_Cervantes de Leon."_

_The man's eyes went wide for a second, but a smile soon crept back onto his face. "After his legendary sword, are you?" he chuckled, "All right. I'll have talk with my employers. If you want this information, you'll be at our arena. It's on the west end of the city. Look for the tavern called 'La Cerda Gorda.' Tell them Valdez sent you." He turned around and walked away, adding, "Oh, and you'll be responsible for your own equipment."_

* * *

_After wandering around the west end of town for a while, Taki found the place she was looking for._

"_La Cerda Gorda."_

"_The Fat Sow." A fitting name for such a filthy looking place. Taki stepped inside, to see the place almost empty. A few people sat drinking, and one man stood behind the counter, cleaning a glass. He turned and saw Taki at the door._

"_What do you want?" he asked._

"_Valdez sent me," she answered._

_The man smiled, and turned around. He shouted, "Patron! Hay un a China aqui! Dice que le mando Valdez!"_

"_Dejale entrar!" another voice called back._

_The man turned around, and beckoned Taki closer. "Follow me," he said. He led her to the back of the tavern. He pulled a large painting off of the wall to reveal a door hidden behind it. He opened it up, and turned to Taki. "Go inside," he answered, "Someone will meet you further in."_

_Taki entered the doorway, and saw that it lead to a downward stairway. The door closed behind her, and she began walking down. The staircase seemed to last forever, but in time, she reached the bottom. There, the man she assumed to be Valdez was waiting for her._

"_Ah," he smiled, "There you are! You're not going to fight in that, are you?"_

"_Oh, don't worry about me," she answered, "I've got something else."_

"_If you say so," he answered, "Follow me."_

_Valdez walked Taki out of the stone corridor and into what appeared to be a decently sized coliseum. There were stone benches lining the terraced walls. Down below appeared to be a stone ring elevated above a mound of dirt._

"_I have spoken with my employers," Valdez began, "and they have agreed to give you information concerning the whereabouts of Captain de Leon."_

"_They know where he is?" Taki questioned the man._

_He chuckled and shrugged off her question, "They will only give it to you, however, if you can beat our champion."_

"_Point me to him," Taki replied._

"_Not so fast," Valdez chuckled, "You can't just immediately challenge the champion. Especially not for your first fight."_

"_Very well, then," Taki answered, "What do I have to do?"_

"_Today is your lucky day, miss. We're having a tournament," Valdez grinned, "Entry fee is thirty gold."_

"_Thirty gold?" Taki repeated, "That's ridiculous!"_

"_It all goes to the winner's pot," Valdez smiled, "If you don't pay, you can't enter, and our deal is off. How badly do you want to find Cervantes de Leon?"_

_Taki sighed, and agreed to pay the price. Valdez proceeded to led Taki to the waiting area for the fighters._

"_You're quite confident in your abilities, miss," Valdez told her, "You don't even know if you stand a chance against the other challengers, let alone the champion."_

"_Oh, I'm sure I stand more than a chance," Taki replied._

"_Well, good luck to you, miss… What do I call you?"_

"_Taki."_

"_Miss Taki," Valdez smiled, as he walked away._

* * *

"_QUE GRAN BATALLA!" Valdez shouted out from the ring, "PERO NO SE PREOCUPEN! AUN FALTA MAS!"_

_The crowd cheered wildly._

"_DAMAS Y CABALLEROS!" he continued, "POR FAVOR, AYUDEN ME A DAR LA BIENVENIDA A NUESTRA LUCHADORA MAS NUEVA, TAKI!"_

_The usher shoved Taki forward towards the ring. Valdez whistled at her in a sly manner, noticing how her tight bodysuit hugged her shapely body._

_There were very few in the crowd cheered for the ninja. Quite a bit more of them jeered, while most remained silent._

"_Tough crowd," Valdez said to Taki, chuckling. He raised his voice once more, "AHORA, AYUDEN ME DAR LA BIENVENIDA A SU OPONENTE, MONTECARLO!"_

_The crowd's reception to Montecarlo was significantly more positive. The people cheered as a rather well dressed man approached the ring. Hardly the type of person you'd expect to see at one of these events. He waved to the crowd, and brandished his rapier._

_He approached the ring, and flashed a confident smile at Taki._

_Valdez stepped out of the ring. He raised his hand in the air and shouted, "QUE EMPIEZA LA PELEA!"_

_As soon as those words left Valdez's lips, Montecarlo's rapier came right at Taki. She turned in the nick of time, and quickly moved out of the way, though the blade left a small nick on her face. She brought her hand to her wound, and Montecarlo laughed as he saw he had made contact._

"_If you want to give up, there's still time, señorita," he taunted._

_She scowled and drew her dagger. She wasn't about to let this man get the better of her._

"_So, you still wish to fight?" he smiled, "I would hate to further damage that beautiful face of yours."_

_Taki leapt at Montecarlo, swinging her blade at him. He deflected her attack with his rapier, and stepped back._

"_Very well," he continued, "You brought this on yourself."_

_He swung his sword at her, almost cutting her near the collarbone. He yelled and swung again, but still, she dodged. She quickly rolled under his blade, and jumped up towards him, her knife leaving a cut going up his lip. Montecarlo instinctively brought his hand to his lip, and saw that Taki had drawn blood. He screamed in rage, and swiftly thrust his blade at Taki, the tip of his sword piercing to the left of her abdomen._

_Taki groaned in pain as she staggered, falling on one knee. Montecarlo pulled his rapier away, laughing._

"_I warned you!" he laughed._

_The audience cheered at Montecarlo's attack. He was clearly the crowd favorite._

_Taki struggled to her feet, wincing in pain. She couldn't lose. This was the only lead she had at the moment, and who knew when the next would come, if there would even be one. She dropped a smoke pellet, engulfing the ring in a grey haze._

_Montecarlo was caught off guard by this. He kept looking left and right, in front and behind. He had no idea which way was which, and the only sound was the booing of the crowd._

_Taki shouted as she stabbed the Rekki-maru into his back. He screamed in pain, and she quickly ripped out the blade. Montecarlo lurched forward, his free arm trying to clutch the wound in his back. Enraged, he turned around, and began swinging his sword wildly about, hoping to strike Taki._

_The smoke cleared enough to where Montecarlo could see, and so could the crowd. The fencer looked around for a sign of Taki, but couldn't find her._

_She slashed at his back, causing him to fall to his knees._

"_Would you like to give up?" she mockingly asked._

_Montecarlo slammed his fist into the ground, and quickly flung himself around, leaving a cut across Taki's abdomen._

"_I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL!" he shouted. He rose to his fight, and swung his sword at the ninja. She blocked with her own blade, and swept Montecarlo off his feet. She kicked the rapier out of his hands, and held the Rekki-maru to his neck._

_The crowd gasped, clearly not expecting Taki to emerge victorious._

"_No mas, por favor! NO MAS!" Montecarlo shouted._

_Taki took this as his surrender. She sheathed the Rekki-maru and turned away from Montecarlo. The Spaniard smiled, rose to his feet, and charged after Taki, attempting to tackle her to the floor. But she turned around and lifted him over her head, and tossed him out of the ring._

_The crowd was silent for a moment. But soon, they began cheering. It seems they had had a change of heart._

"_DAMAS Y CABALLEROS!" Valdez cried out, "LA GANADORA! TAKI!"_

_Only four battles to go._

* * *

_**While writing Montecarlo, I realized: "SON OF A BITCH, HE'S A SPANISH RAPHAEL!"**_

_**This chapter was a pain to write. I had a friend talk it out with me, and it still took hours for me to get started.**_

_**But I think it turned out decent.**_

_**Tell me, what do you think? Good? Bad? How so? How can I go about improving it? **_


	11. Enter the Dragon

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_Taki limped back into the waiting area. That was her fourth fight that day. She was tired and ready to pass out._

"_You've done extraordinarily well, Taki!" Valdez congratulated the ninja, "You've become a crowd favorite on your first day!"_

"_I just want to get this over with so you can tell me what I want to know," Taki replied._

"_That's really too bad," Valdez sighed, "You're wonderful at this. You could become rich being a fighter."_

"_I'm not interested."_

"_All right, if you say so," Valdez answered, "We'll holding some other matches for an intermission from the tournament. You have two hours to rest up. I suggest going to talk with our doctor before you take on the champion."_

_Taki took Valdez's advice, and went down to see the fighting ring's doctor. He performed a quick physical examination on the battered ninja._

"_I can't do much to fix you up with only two hours," he said, "and by the looks of things, you won't last long against the champion. You're too beat up."_

"_I'm not about to let myself get beat," Taki answered the old man._

"_I've been wrong before," the doctor shrugged, "I told Dragon the same thing before he took on the last champion, and he did fine." The doctor turned away from Taki, and began jotting some notes down. "There are some beds in the back to rest up, if you want. I'll wake you when it's time for your match. Assuming you can get any sleep with all that shouting out there."_

* * *

"_DAMAS Y CABALLEROS!" Valdez's voice echoed throughout the coliseum, "YA ES HORA PARA LA ULTIMA PELEA!"_

_The crowd roared in excitement._

"_EL CONTENDIENTE, UNA NUEVA LUCHADORA QUE NADIE A LOGRADO DEROTAR, TAKI!"_

_The crowd cheered as Taki stepped out into the ring, ready for battle._

"_Y AHORA… EL CAMPION, DRAGON!"_

_A tall, white-haired man in a pale green breastplate and gauntlets stepped forward. He gripped a wide Chinese blade in his hand. He roared as the crowd cheered the loudest they had cheered the entire tournament. He stepped into the ring, his piercing eyes staring into Taki's being._

_Valdez stepped out of the ring, and raised his arm into the air. "QUE EMPIEZA LA PELEA!"_

_Dragon slashed at Taki, cutting her across the abdomen. She staggered back, her arm over the cut. He ran at her, bringing his blade down. She rolled out of the way, his sword becoming wedged within the stone of the ring. He tried pulling it out, and Taki took advantage of this by running behind him, and slicing across his lower back, where his armor offered no protection._

_Dragon roared in pain, one of his hands grasping his wounded area. With his other, he ripped the sword from the stone, and swiftly swung it at Taki. She tried deflecting it with her blade. Dragon's sword didn't hit her, but knocked the Rekki-maru out of her hand and to the far side of the ring. She looked up at Dragon, who was raising his sword for another swing. He brought his blade down, but Taki sidestepped it, and grabbed hold of the swordsman. She quickly flipped over him, and drove her elbow into the back of his neck. Dragon limply fell to the floor. Taki took this opportunity to retrieve her dagger. She dashed to the far side of the ring, and grabbed the Rekki-maru. She turned her head to see Dragon already on his feet and preparing to charge at her._

_Expecting him to try and swing his blade once more, Taki was caught by surprise when his cold, steel gauntlet wrapped itself around her blade-wielding hand. She couldn't use her weapon._

_Dragon tightened his grip, and pulled his sword arm back, as though he were about to run her through. Taki began using her free hand to try and attack his stomach, but the warrior only flinched slightly at her blows. Dragon rapidly brought his arm back in, delivering a fierce punch to Taki's abdomen._

_He let Taki fall to her knees as she vomited from the force of the impact. He stepped away, allowing her to recover. Dragon clearly wasn't ready to let this fight end. Taki shakily rose to her feet, not sure how much longer she would be able to keep this up._

_Dragon extended his arm forward, and beckoned for Taki to come at him._

_She spit on the floor, and regained her composure. Within seconds, she was running at him, her dagger ready to strike. Once she was close enough, Dragon thrust his fist forward, attempting to deliver a blow to Taki's face. The ninja dropped to the floor while running, and slid underneath his fist. She stabbed the Rekki-maru into Dragon's leg, withdrew it, and quickly pulled away from the swordsman._

_Dragon slouched down, his hand clutching at his wounded leg. He straightened himself out and charged at Taki once more. She prepared for his attack, and raised her blade. Dragon raised his blade as if to swing, but instead, with his other hand, grabbed hold of Taki, and hopped over her. He then turned and delivered a devastating kick to her back._

_Taki collapsed to the floor, the wind knocked clear out of her. Dragon just stood over the assassin, his eyes piercing into her._

_As soon as she could speak, she asked the man, "Why aren't you finishing it?"_

"_You held your own against four other fierce warriors," Dragon's deep voice rumbled, "Are you really going to let me defeat you like this?"_

_Taki slowly began to rise to her feet._

"_That's right," Dragon said, "Get up. Show me what you can do."_

_Taki readied herself for whatever onslaught was about to come. She beckoned that Dragon come to her this time. He obliged, and charged towards her. The warrior lowered his head, and tried ramming the ninja back to the floor._

_Though shaken by the impact, Taki grabbed hold of Dragon, and stuck the Rekki-maru into his shoulder. The swordsman grunted in pain, and threw Taki off of him. He reached to his shoulder and ripped out her dagger, tossing it back to her._

_She caught it, and poised herself to attack. Dragon ran towards her, in a serpentine motion. He dropped to the ring, and swept Taki to the cold, stone floor. He stood up, and picked her from off the ground. Raising her over his head, Dragon tossed her with an incredible amount of force._

_Taki crashed into the wall set outside the ring, and then everything went black._

* * *

_Taki slowly opened her eyes, feeling incredible pain all over her body. She groaned as she tried to sit up, realizing her bodysuit was gone._

"_What?" she blurted out._

"_I was wondering when you'd wake up," a deep, thundering voice came. Taki turned to see Dragon looking out a window. "You've been out for about two days."_

_He tossed her bodysuit at her._

"_Where am I?" she asked angrily, "What did you-"_

"_I ended your suffering," Dragon responded, "Had we fought any longer, I might have killed you. And you're at one of the local inns here in Valencia. Tell me when you're dressed so I can turn around."_

"_So, I lost," Taki mumbled, putting her bodysuit on._

"_Yeah," Dragon answered, "Sorry."_

_Taki said nothing._

"_I heard you speaking with Valdez," Dragon continued, "Something about Soul Edge."_

"_That's none of your concern," Taki snapped._

"_Valdez is a rat disguised a man," Dragon growled, "I guarantee you that any leads he would have given you would've been worthless." He turned around, noticing Taki was now clothed, and continued, "If you want to find that cursed blade, I can point you to something of interest."_

_Taki's looked up at the fighter. "What do you mean?" she asked._

"_A few nights before the tournament began," Dragon explained, "in the forest north of town, there was a flash of light in the sky. Then, the woods began to burn. I don't know if it was Soul Edge, but that certainly seems like the destruction it's known for."_

_Dragon turned to leave, but before making his way to the door, he tossed a small bag to Taki. She opened it up._

"_Thirty gold," she stated._

"_The entry fee for the tournament," Dragon stated, walking for the exit, "I don't fight for the money."_

"_Why are you helping me?" Taki asked the swordsman._

"_Because you've earned my respect as a warrior," Dragon replied, "I recommend resting at least another day. Your rent's already been taken care of."_

_With that, Dragon stepped out the door._

* * *

_**Damn. DAMN. Dragon is BAD ASS.**_

_**So, what do you think? Good chapter? Bad chapter? How is it good/bad? What can I do to make it better?**_


	12. Island: Life In The Vault

_**I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_The flames burning on the lake of oil crackled, as bits of grit and rock fell into it. Far above the flames, Link walked along the vault's stone pathways, keeping an eye for any sign of Soul Edge. If the sword was as evil and powerful as he was told, he should be able to sense it once he was close enough._

_Each step he took, he took with caution. A man so obsessed with his treasure that he locked himself away with it would no doubt had laid traps for intruders. But soon, Link's mind soon began to wander. The mountains of treasure piled around the giant vault were more lavish and vast than the treasures of the Spirit Temple._

_Suddenly, Link felt his foot sink down lower than the path. In his musings, he stopped paying attention to the walkway, and stepped on a trigger._

"_Damn!" he muttered aloud, quickly looking around to see where the trap was coming from. He began to hear rumbling, but it echoed all throughout the vault. Then, he noticed pebbles and small rocks were beginning to fall down around him. He looked up and saw a giant stone slab plummeting towards him. He rolled out of the way, the giant slab slamming down onto the stone path behind him._

"_Stay focused, Link," the Hylian grumbled to himself, pressing on. "Never thought I'd miss Navi's advice."_

_For a while longer, Link trekked on, keeping a weather eye out for any triggers or traps. Out of nowhere, a strange noise echoed throughout the cave. It sounded like a sharp, but somewhat muffled breath. Link stopped in his tracks, and looked around. That sound wasn't the creaking of the wood or crackling of the flames. That noise sounded beastly, animalistic. But silence befell the vault once again. Link slowly continued on, looking around for any sign of danger._

_The noise came again. Something else was is in this vault._

"_Who's there?" Link shouted, drawing his sword and donning his shield, "Show yourself!"_

_A loud, terrifying screech echoed throughout the cavernous vault. Link looked all over for any indication of what was causing this. The screech came again, but it sounded close. Link looked up, and saw something horrifying. A pale, thin creature in the shape of a man, his body grotesquely contorted. Its body covered in net and leather bindings. The eyes and mouth were wrapped and hidden with leather as well. It dropped to the floor, landing on all fours, but its body was facing the upward. Link watched in fear and disgust as the creature twisted himself off the floor, and raised its arms skyward. Three daggers extended from each gauntlet on its wrists._

"_Who are you?" Link asked, somewhat shakily._

_The beast hissed, and ran at Link. It slashed at Link with its clawed gauntlets, but the Hylian blocked them with his shield. The monster continued trying to attack his opponent, striking repeatedly. Link held his shield in place, holding back each blow. The creature stopped for a moment, perhaps realizing its attacks weren't working, and Link took this opportunity. He lunged forward, his blade cutting through the creature's side. It screeched and lurched to the floor. Link raised his sword, preparing to finish it off. He didn't want to waste any more time than was necessary, especially not with __**this**__._

_Suddenly, the monster curled itself into a ball, and rapidly rolled towards Link, knocking him off of his feet. The elf fell to the floor, as his adversary straightened itself out. Link stood up, and turned to the beast, to see it facing away from Link and apparently walking in place. Link saw an opening, and took it. He swung the Master Sword at the creature, only to have it caught between the monster's claws. As though it had eyes in the back of its head, the beast twisted its arms to extend back and catch Link's blade. It threw the sword back at Link, and thrust its arms behind itself in an attack. Its left claw cut across Link's arm._

"_Damn!" Link groaned, grabbing at his wound. He fell to his knees, and then attempted to sweep the creature to the ground. It fell and hit its head against the stone. Link stood up and ran off, not wanting to face this being any longer. "I've got to get out of here!" he said to himself, "Where is that damn sword?"_

_A hideous moan echoed throughout the vault, and Link looked back to see the monster on all fours, chasing after him. While fleeing from the strange creature, Link's foot sank deeper than the walkway, and he fell to the floor. He picked himself up, and from his left, there came a rumbling sound. Link turned his head, and saw a giant blade heading right for him. He rolled out of the way, the pendulum catching his cloak. It lifted Link off the ground, and swung him into a wall._

"_Agh!" he grunted in pain, "Damn it!" He struggled out of his cloak and dropped to the floor, picking up his sword. He looked back and saw the beast was catching up to him. Link began to run forward, but stopped dead in his tracks, almost being sliced apart by a second pendulum. He stopped just short of the blade, the edge of it almost clipping his nose. The Hylian looked ahead, and saw a series of pendulums stood in his path. He'd have to time dashes and jumps to make it through this in one piece, and he also had to stay ahead of the thing that was pursuing him._

_The blade swung by again, and as soon as it was clear, Link ran through the path, and stopped at the next pendulum. Again, it swung and he passed through. Again and again he did this, until finally clearing the seventh pendulum. He paused for a moment, panting. He looked back, and saw the monster running towards him._

_The creature ran towards him, beginning to rise up on its two legs. It leapt forward, its clawed gauntlets spread apart, ready to strike. Then, seemingly from out of nowhere, the pendulum swung back into view, and its bar crashed into the beast. The creature clung to the rod pulling itself closer to the cold iron. It dragged itself across the bar toward the dull back of the blade, and secured itself there. After waiting a moment, the monster emitted a hideous screech, and leapt from the first pendulum onto the second. It landed perfectly, twisting itself to secure a foothold on the dull backside of the blade. Then it repeated the process and leapt to the third, then the fourth._

_Link slowly stepped back, before turning and running as fast as he could. "Where's a place to hide?" he asked aloud, frantically, "WHERE'S A PLACE TO HIDE?" Suddenly, a horrific growl echoed through the vault, and Link felt himself being rammed to the floor. The creature's daggered gauntlets pierced the stone right next to his head. Link shouted as he struggled to break free. He felt the monster lower its head near his, and he rammed his elbow into its face. The beast moaned as it fell back, and Link pulled himself out from underneath. He tried running, but the monster still gave chase._

_Link ran and ran, trying to get away from the beast. But soon, he forced himself to stop suddenly. The walkway came to a sudden end; if there had been a bridge there, it was gone now. Trying to regain his balance, and avoid falling into the lake of oil and flames below, he turned his head to see the creature slowly walking towards him. Desperately, Link looked around for an escape. He saw one, about ten feet below, and a fair distance away. He looked all around for another way out, but nothing was in sight. It was either that jump, or the monster. Link swallowed, as he prepared for the leap._

_The beast let out a piercing cry, and Link didn't wait a second longer. The creature lunged at him as he jumped down off the walkway. The swordsman hit the ground rolling, but still hurt his right leg._

"_Damn!" he shouted, crawling to his feet. He put pressure on his leg, and aside from a bit of discomfort and a slight limp, he could still walk. He made his way down the path as fast as he could, keeping an eye out for any traps. Before long, he found a door. "Finally," he said aloud, and stepped through._

_The next room was just as vast as the first, though natural light seemed to pervade the entire chamber, coming from a spacious opening in the top of the vault. Water seemed to be cascading down from grates in the walls. More hills of gold, jewels, and artifacts littered the entire area. Broken ships drifted in the water that surrounded the lowest walkways and mountains of treasure. A gigantic statue of a sharply-dressed man on a throne, with a scepter in his hand, stood at the far end of the room._

"_The Merchant of Death?" Link mused to himself. Perhaps the old miser was entombed over there. According to the legend, he had wanted Soul Edge so badly. If it hadn't been buried with him, Link hadn't the foggiest idea where it would be. He wouldn't have tossed it away with the other mountains of treasure._

_Link limped forward. Home was so close; it was in his grasp! He could at last return to the great world he loved. He could see himself, riding Epona through Hyrule field. Venturing through the sands of Gerudo desert. Diving into the crystal waters of Lake Hylia. Scaling the rocky bluffs around Kakariko. Soon, very soon, he'd be back to all that. He could hardly wait._

_The Hylian had made it to the statue's base. By the monument's left foot, Link noticed a wooden door. Above it, there was something crudely carved into the stone._

"_MASTER."_

_Link moved closer to the door. The smell of decay was strong. Something had been rotting away back there. But that wasn't going to deter him. Soul Edge was behind this door, and he wasn't going to let a stench not even a fraction as bad as the Shadow Temple stop him. He reached for the door's handle, and made his way inside._

_Most of the room was empty and dark. On the opposite of the chamber, were candles stuck to the wall, illuminating a golden throne. On the throne sat a husk of a man, what little flesh remained was falling away. On his body were the remains of extravagant clothing, all of it ripped and deteriorated to not much more than colorful rags. A golden scepter rested in his hand, wrapped in his broken, worn away fingers. This was the man of the statue._

"_The Merchant of Death," Link said to himself, "But… where's Soul Edge?" His eyes darted around the merchant's putrid corpse. The sword wasn't with him. "Where is it? WHERE IS IT?" Link became frantic. He broke one of the candlesticks off of the wall and darted around the chamber. There was nothing of value to him here. The floor was littered amounts of gold, some jewels, some armor. But none of that mattered to Link. He began looking u., perhaps it had been mounted? On the upper wall, there was nothing. Just more crude scratches, apparently clawed in and bloodied by the merchant's own fingers._

"_Soul Edge."_

"_Soul Edge"_

"_Soul Edge"_

"_SOUL EDGE"_

_Link seemed to speak along with the words carved into the wall._

"_WHERE IS IT?" he screamed, desperately dashing around the room. He had explored every inch of the room and found no trace of Soul Edge save its name carved on the walls. He threw the candlestick to the floor, and turned to the merchant's body. He seized it by what remained of its collar, and began to shake the corpse. "WHAT DID YOU DO WITH SOUL EDGE?" he screamed, as if expecting the skull to answer him, "WHERE IS IT?"_

_A violent knocking came at the door. Daggers began to pierce through the wood, trying to break it apart. The hideous screech Link had become all too familiar with returned. The Hylian threw the merchant's skeleton to the floor, the corpse shattering in twenty different directions. Link grabbed his sword and raised his shield. This beast had become a vent for his rage._

_A gaping hole broke out in the door as the monster attacked it. It crawled through the whole, and stopped dead in its tracks. It knew what Link had done. It roared in fury and leapt towards the Hylian, just as the elf lunged with his blade._

* * *

_**FINALLY. I KNOW IT WAS ONLY TWO DAYS, BUT DAMN THIS FELT LIKE IT TOOK AN ETERNITY TO WRITE!**_

_**And yes, a cliffhanger. I'M EVIL. If you've read my other stories, you should know it's what I do. You got not no right to complain about it if you came in already my fan.**_

_**Now, in case it wasn't obvious enough (unlikely), yes, the beast is Voldo. I know Voldo isn't actually an inhuman monster (technically), but I'm pretty sure Link, who had never seen or heard a creature like this before, let alone a person, wasn't gonna think this… BDSM zombie freak was human.**_

_**And damn, Link. Running from fights? Attacking from behind? Taking your anger out on unrelated things? YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT. MY HEADCANON HAS YOU AS A NOBLE, HONORABLE, BRAVE PERSON! ESPECIALLY AS THE HERO OF TIME! HERO OF TWILIGHT'S A LITTLE LOOSER IN HIS MORALS, BUT YOU'RE NOT HIM!**_

_**Anyhoo, what do you think? Good? Bad? How so? What can I do to make it better?**_


	13. Four Years

_**I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_Link roared from the bottom of his lungs as he charged towards the blind creature. Shield first, he dashed towards the beast full speed ahead, ramming it out through the doorway it broke in through. The Hylian slammed the plate of iron against the monster, knocking it back. Then, gritting his teeth, slashed his blade across its chest._

_The monster hissed, backing off slightly. But it raised its arms and swung at Link, cutting across the swordsman's arm. Link instinctively clutched the wound, grunting in pain. He turned his head to the creature, and let out a snarl as hideous as the monster's own. With an angry scream, he swung the Master Sword at his opponent once more._

_The beast caught the blade in its daggered bracers and tossed it to the side, Link still gripping the hilt. With a chilling moan, the monster swung its claws at the Hylian, leaving a few gashes across his side. Link groaned in pain, then angrily picked up the Master Sword. With a furious roar, he slashed at his opponent, the blade once more blocked by the daggered gauntlets. Again, Link slashed at the monster. And again, the creature blocked the attack. Again and again, over and over, Link swung the blade at his enemy. Again and again, over and over, the beast blocked and deflected his strikes. In desperation and rage, Link screamed as he rammed his shield into his opponent, stunning them. He took advantage of their weakness, and thrust his sword at them._

_The creature let out a beastly growl as it staggered away from Link, bleeding from the fresh wound going across its abdomen. The elf was displaying a ferocity he had not shown before. This wasn't fighting to survive. This wasn't just clearing a path. This was pure, unadulterated rage._

_The beast tried backing up, but Link wasn't about to let it get away. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" he screamed angrily, swinging his blade at it. The creature let out a piercing screech as Link's blade cut along its back. "FOUR YEARS!" he yelled, swinging his sword at the blind monster, "FOR FOUR YEARS I SEARCHED!" The beast fell onto its back as Link stepped towards it, preparing to swing once more. "FOR FOUR YEARS, I'VE BEEN IN THIS WORLD! SEARCHING FOR THAT DAMNED SWORD!" He raised his blade up in the air, the tip pointed downwards. "WHERE IS IT?" he continued, "WHERE IN THE HELL IS IT!?" As the swordsman was about to drive the tip of his sword into the beast, one of its legs kicked to the side, ramming into Link's leg and knocking him off his feet._

_The creature let out a hideous snarl as it lifted its lower body into the air. It bent itself all the way, so its feet were touching the ground next to its head. Then, it lifted its torso off the stony floor, and stood straight up, facing Link. It began to walk in place for a moment, and then moved towards the Hylian. It twisted itself into a ball and rolled towards Link, knocking him back down as he attempted to stand up. Again, Link tried rising to his feet, and again, the beast rammed him to the floor._

"_Damn it!" Link swore, trying to lift himself off the ground once more. He crawled to his feet, and saw the monster a fair distance away, turning around to face him. The beast got down on all fours and began to run towards Link. The elf sheathed the Master Sword and planted his feet firmly on the ground. Closer and closer the beast ran. Link readied himself for his opponent's incoming attack._

_The creature let out a screeching hiss as it leapt into the air, its arms outstretched, ready to strike. Link braced himself, and caught the creature as it came down to attack him. It slashed at Link, who moved his head out of the way just in the nick of time. He threw the beast to the stony floor, then slammed the bottom of his boot onto its face, pinning it there._

_He lifted his leg up, only to bend it and ram his knee into the creature's chest. It let out a howl of pain as Link balled his fists. He slammed his knuckles into the monster's face, screaming in rage. Again, he delivered a blow to the creature's head. And another. And another._

"_FOR FOUR YEARS!" he screamed, delivering another blow._

"_FOR FOUR LONG YEARS I SEARCHED!"_

"_ALL ALONE IN THIS WORLD!"_

"_KEEPING OUT OF SIGHT!"_

"_FORCED TO HIDE MY IDENTITY!"_

"_OR BE HUNTED LIKE AN ANIMAL!"_

"_LIKE I'M SORT OF MONSTER!"_

"_I'M NOT A MONSTER!"_

"_I'M NOT A MONSTER LIKE YOU!" Link finished screaming, delivering one more punch to the creature's face. The beast took advantage of Link's brief pause, and swung its bladed bracer across Link's chest, and bucked its body in an attempt to knock the Hylian off. Link grunted in pain, clutching his wound as the creature tossed him off and crawled to its feet. The beast quickly ran away from the elf, desperate to escape Link's wrath._

_Link stood up and looked for his opponent. He saw the beast running to the far end of the chamber, towards a series of rope. The monster let out a disgusting moan as it jumped in the air, and swung its daggered gauntlets, cutting quite a few of the ropes._

_Within seconds, a loud rumbling echoed throughout the vault. The sound of sliding rocks came from behind Link. He turned around to see what was going on, and saw water beginning to pour through holes in the cavern's walls. It started off as a small flowing stream. Like what one would see going down small rocks at a creek. But very soon, it grew into a rushing flood._

"_Oh no," Link said to himself, "Ohhhhh no." The Hylian slowly backed away as the water grew closer, and turned to run. He hadn't taken four steps when the raging waters claimed him. The flow was rapid and violent, tossing him around as it spread around the cavern. The elf reached for something to grab; anything. He finally grabbed hold of a staff lodged in a pile of treasure. But he could feel it coming loose._

"_No, no, no, no, no!" he groaned, the staff wobbling out of the treasure. The swordsman struggled to keep his head above the water and not pull out the scepter any further, but the water was rising and becoming more violent._

_The beast's hideous moan rang out and Link looked up. The creature slid down the pile of treasure and slashed its claws at Link's hands, causing him to instinctively let go of the staff. The raging floods carried him away and away. He struggled to stay afloat, and managed to turn his head around and see where he was headed. The excess water began flowing to an outlet. Try as he might, he wasn't strong enough to swim against the current, and the flood carried him away._

* * *

_**FINALLY.**_

_**SHEESH, SAM. WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG? YOU DON'T HAVE A LIFE TO GET DISTRACTED WITH.**_

_**Sorry for the delay, I hit a serious case of writer's block. This was originally going to be chapter 14, but I decided to work on it first, as I could not, for the life of me, advance on what was originally 13, which focused on Taki.**_

_**Still can't think of a way, so no guarantees on the next update. Sorry.**_

_**Link was real angry and all violent-like this time, wasn't he? Sheesh. Hero my ass.**_

_**So, tell me. What did you think? Good? Bad? How so? How can I make this better?**_


	14. Knives

_**I do not own any part of the Soul series.**_

_**Please review. Thank you.**_

* * *

_Taki walked through the forest for what seemed like hours. The ground, and withered tree husks had been burnt and blackened. Hopefully, she was getting close to the fire's point of origin, and following Dragon's lead hadn't been a waste of time. If the swordsman had pointed her in the right direction, soon she'd be able to stop the evil affecting Toki, and return him to the man he used to be._

_She ventured deeper into the charred woods, and as she progressed deeper and deeper into the forest, more and more trees were knocked over. Many had been before, but now, there wasn't a single one standing._

_She gazed about and noticed how the trees seemed to have fallen in a circular pattern. Towards the center, appeared rise for a bit, then sink further into the earth. The ninja approached the crater, and looked down inside._

"_Damn," Taki whispered to herself._

_A meteorite. If it was hot enough when it landed, it could have started the fire. But it wasn't what she was hoping for. There was nothing to indicate neither Soul Edge nor Cervantes had visited the area._

_What now? She had no more leads. She could go back to Yakushima, and find Tanaka again. But what if he wasn't there? What if he didn't know anything else? But Taki had nowhere else to turn. Tanaka was the only chance she had. The ninja was about to head back to Valencia when she heard a scream._

_Taki turned her head to the direction of the shout. She could see figures all running one direction. She turned away. Whatever it was, it was none of her concern. She began making her way back to town._

_Soon, life began returning to the woods around her. As she moved away from the blackened husks and sooty crater, she heard another shout._

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE ESCAPED?!" came a hideous roar._

"_He got away," came another, equally hideous growl, "The others are still looking, but we've got no clues on where he is."_

"_Well, FIND HIM!" the first shouted back, "Captain de Leon wants him DEAD!"_

"_Yes, sir."_

_De Leon. CAPTAIN de Leon. Referring to Cervantes, perhaps? The man supposedly disappeared years ago; unlikely, but worth a shot. Taki didn't exactly have much to lose at this point. She leapt upwards, grabbing hold of a tree branch. She hoisted herself up on top of it and moved closer to the two as quietly as she could. One man was dressed like a typical sailor, but his flesh was sickly, almost rotted it seemed. The other was completely covered in black and dark blue, spiked armor, and a round helmet hiding his head._

"_Anything else, Valmiro?" asked the second man._

"_No, that's-" the armored man, Valmiro, suddenly stopped and grabbed a pair of blades off of his back, "We've got company."_

_The sailor drew his sword, and began looking around. "Where?" he asked._

_Valmiro suddenly rolled back and disappeared._

_The branch began to creak._

"_Above us," his voice came from directly behind Taki. Before she could even think to react, his knife was already at her throat. "Now, why are you listening in on us?"_

_Taki breathed for a moment. "Does it matter?"_

"_I suppose not," Valmiro replied. He prepared to slice his blade across Taki's throat, but as soon he began to move, the tree limb snapped off._

_Both ninja hit the ground with a thud, Taki landing on her back, and Valmiro on his side, his head hitting the branch. Taki crawled to her feet, staggering a bit. She looked up, and rolled aside as the sailor's sword came down. She reached for the Rekki-Maru and readied herself for battle._

_The sailor let out a monstrous shout and ran towards Taki, his sword raised high into the air. Taki ran dashed towards the man and plunged her dagger into his thigh, and swiftly ripped it back out. The man yelled in pain, falling to his knees, and clutching the wound. Taki took the opening, and stabbed the sailor in the back. The knife entered the base of his neck, piercing his spine. The sailor fell to the ground, and laid there unmoving._

_Taki breathed a sigh of relief, but as she was about to sheathe the Rekki-Maru, she quickly flipped around and blocked Valmiro's dagger with her own. The helmed man snarled viciously and jumped back from Taki, raising his knife in preparation for another strike. He leapt into the air, and brought his blade down towards the ninja. Quickly, she rolled out of harm's way, and stood up directly behind the armored man as he landed._

_As the man rushed to stand up, Taki slammed her elbow into the back of Valmiro's head, causing him to drop back to the ground. She kicked him onto his back and planted her foot firmly on his chest, pinning him to the ground. He let out a monstrous growl as he took a swing for Taki's face from the ground, missing as she straightened her posture. His left hand made a reach for one of his blades, but the ninja slammed her free foot onto his wrist, causing him to let out another beastly snarl, and kept squirming to try and get free, his free hand attempting to reach across his torso and grab a blade._

"_Captain de Leon!" she said, "Cervantes de Leon?"_

_Valmiro instantly ceased his wriggling and growling, and turned his head to Taki's. He remained silent._

"_I'll take that as a yes," Taki said, sheathing the Rekki-Maru, "Where is he?"_

_Valmiro remained silent, balling his hand into a fist._

"_Where is he?" Taki repeated, in a sterner tone._

_Still not breaking his silence, he unclenched his fist and swiftly delivered a chop to the back of Taki's knee. The ninja lost her balance and began to fall. Valmiro wrenched his trapped hand free and knocked Taki to the side. The man quickly rose to his feet, and grabbed his blades._

_The assassin staggered to her feet, and looked up. Valmiro snarled loudly as he brought down his daggers towards her. She tried rolling out of the way, but one of his knives cut across her side. She grunted in pain and pulled herself away from Valmiro, trying to stand while clutching her wound._

_She reached for the Rekki-maru, and prepared to defend herself. Valmiro shouted gutturally as he charged towards Taki. He swung his blades at her, but she managed to deflect them with her own. She delivered a kick to the man's stomach, knocking him back. The armored man straightened himself out and looked up._

_Taki brought down her dagger and stabbed it into Valmiro's collar. He staggered back and fell to the ground. His breathing became labored. His head turned to look at the knife sticking out of his body. He moved his trembling hand to grab the blade, and pulled it out. His dark, sickly looking blood coating it. He turned to Taki, then back to the blade. He stretched his hand out, and let out a growling shout as he slammed the side of the blade against his helmet with great force._

_As soon as Taki saw him bring the knife towards his helm, she reached forward in an attempt to stop him from damaging the Rekki-Maru, but was too late. Valmiro fell back and dropped the bent dagger. Taki grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Where is Cervantes?" she asked, "Where?"_

"_Go to hell…," he answered weakly. The ninja grabbed his arm and snapped it across her knee. Valmiro screamed in pain._

"_Where is he?" she asked again._

"_All right! All right…," he gave in, "He's back in Port Valencia…"_

"_What?"_

"_He's back in Port Valencia," Valmiro repeated, "…chasing someone."_

_Taki threw Valmiro back to the ground and picked up the Rekki-Maru. Unable to fit it back in its sheath, she kept it in her hand as she dashed back to the city._

_If Cervantes de Leon was back in Valencia, then she was only moments away from stopping the evil affecting Toki. She'd be able to save him._

* * *

_**HOLY CRAP I'M STILL ALIVE**_

_**Sorry for taking so long to update. I just really lost all my motivation to do pretty much ANYTHING. I'll try to update, but then again, I've been trying for over a month now, so no promises on another update any time soon.**_

_**I'm not really sure I like how it turned out, but I've been keeping you all waiting for over a month. Figured it was about time to post SOMETHING.  
**_

_**So tell me. What did you think? Good? Bad? Why? Can I make it better? How?**_


	15. Soul Edge

**I do not own the rights to the Soul Calibur series.**

**Please review. Thank you.**

* * *

_People were running. Chaos ran rampant in the streets of Valencia. Men and women screamed as they dashed past Taki, shoving others out of their way. Something was up. She reached out and grabbed one of the men fleeing by the shoulder. She pulled him to the side and tried to talk with him, but he started swinging and trying to break free. To silence him, she slammed him into a wall and put the Rekki-Maru to his throat. He immediately calmed down._

"_Don't hurt me," he whimpered._

"_What's going on here? Why is everyone running?" Taki asked the man._

"_At the docks!" the man answered, "There's a man! He's killing anyone who comes near him!"_

"_Who is he?"_

"_I-I don't know! He called himself Cervantes something!"_

_Taki let the man go and made her way towards the docks. She picked up her pace and ran through the streets, weaving throughout the crowds of people headed in the opposite direction. As she drew closer and closer, she heard inhuman screams of anger and the sound of metal clanging. There was somebody in a fight._

_As she approached the harbor, the crowds had disappeared. The area was almost completely deserted, save for two figures fighting each other down at the docks. A young, blonde girl in a white robe and steel spaulders, armed with a short sword and shield. And a tall sailor in a dark coat and hat, his skin an unnatural color, wielding two hideous, monstrous looking blades, one significantly smaller than the other. The dread pirate, Cervantes de Leon._

_Cervantes screamed as he brought down the larger sword, and the girl jumped out of the way as the blade struck the ground. She rolled around the pirate and slashed her sword across his back as she stood up. Cervantes let out a cry of pain, then turned and kicked the girl square in the face, knocking her to the floor._

"_You pathetic wretch," he spat, "I'll teach you to defy me." Cervantes walked over to the girl, raising his larger sword high into the air._

_Taki charged towards the pirate and leapt into the air, coming down and plunging the Rekki-Maru into his back, the bent blade not piercing nearly as well as it should be. He let out an angry howl as he flailed his arms, and knocked Taki off his back, the Rekki-Maru with her._

"_Another one?" he growled, "Fine. Bring as many as you like. Bring the whole damned world! I'll slaughter each and every last one of you all the same!"_

"_What are you doing?" the blonde girl shouted to Taki._

"_Just fight!" Taki shouted back, and stood up to charged towards Cervantes. She swung her crooked dagger at the pirate, and he parried with his longsword. She got a close look at it. It appeared to have a sort of fleshy, red mass covering parts of it, as though it were alive. Then she looked up as he swung the shorter blade at her. As she leapt away, she saw that it too had a similar fleshy coating. But it looked as if there were faces in the short sword's mass. Faces in agony and full of fear. Like tortured souls of the damned. That HAD to be Soul Edge._

_Letting out a scream of rage, Cervantes spun Soul Edge around in his hand, and pointed a strange tube on the hilt towards Taki. He smiled and said, "Feel the pain!" Just as he did, the blonde girl tackled him, causing him to fall over. A loud bang came from the hilt of the sword, as a small bullet whizzed right by Taki's head. There had been a pistol in the hilt._

_Roaring in anger, Cervantes swung the short blade at the girl, leaving a gash across her sternum. The blonde stumbled back, instinctively clutching her wound. Cervantes growled and kicked her to the ground. Taki charged towards the pirate and tackled him away from the girl. The Spaniard growled and balled his fist. He punched Taki in the face, and pushed her off of him._

_Taki rolled back, delivering a kick to Cervantes' face, and readied herself for another attack. Taki charged towards the man, her dagger ready to do whatever damage it could. She swung it at him, but he dodged. He swung his longsword, cutting her leg. Taki kneeled, her hand going to the cut on her thigh._

_Cervantes chuckled as he stepped towards her. "Pathetic," he spat, "Absolutely pathetic. A weak woman like you thought you could handle me?" He raised his blades, and prepared to finish Taki off. The blonde ran up behind Cervantes and slashed across his back. He let out a guttural yell, and turned to fight the girl. He swung his blades at her, which she managed to block with her shield. But Cervantes was relentless. He dropped to the floor and swept the swordswoman right off her feet. He stood up and slammed his boot into her stomach. "Sit there and wait your turn," he snarled, and turned back towards Taki._

_Taki readied the Rekki-Maru and began charging towards Cervantes. He smiled and raised his small sword once more, once again pointing the barrel of the pistol towards her. The Spaniard pulled the trigger, and sent a bullet speeding towards the ninja. With little time to think of another way, Taki tried using her blade to deflect the bullet. She raised up the Rekki-Maru, and when the bullet collided with the blade, it shattered. The bullet continued, though straying from its intended path, and grazed Taki's arm. Taki fell to the floor, the fragments of her dagger's blade lying in front of her._

_Cervantes' ugly laugh came. He slowly stepped towards Taki, a disgusting grin on his face. "Ay, que pobresita," he laughed, "That's just bad luck, girl. Tell me, how do you plan on beating me without a weapon?"_

_He began walking faster, twirling his swords in his hands. Taki stood up, and began backing away. Cervantes only smiled, and began charging. He swung both his swords at her, repeatedly. She nimbly dodged and weaved her way around them, until one managed to cut across her abdomen. She fell and clutched the wound as the pirate laughed at her. Taki rose to her feet, a look of determination on her face._

"_Oh, still got a bit of fight left, do we?" Cervantes chuckled, "I'll take care of that." He readied himself for another attack, but Taki delivered a swift kick to the side of his face, and sent him to the floor. Taki took this opportunity to back away from him. Her energy was leaving her, and her wounds were making it difficult to move. She needed to think of another way to beat him._

_Cervantes angrily got up, and let out a monstrous shout. "You think backing up a ways will help you?" he snarled, "You seem to forget what this sword can do!" He once again raised his pistol sword, and pointed it at the wounded, battle-weary Taki. "Pùdrete en el infierno, perra!"_

_As he prepared to pull the trigger, the young girl slammed her shield into him, and then she slashed at his arm. He dropped the pistol sword and clutched the wound. The girl raised her sword high into the air and said, "Gods give me strength!" She brought the sword down, and with a mighty blow, Soul Edge shattered into tiny shards. But the destruction of the sword released a shockwave, and several shards flew into the girl, cutting her and imbedding themselves in her skin. She let out a cry of pain, as she dropped her own sword._

"_NO!" Cervantes yelled out in rage, "MALDITA PUTA! I'LL RIP YOU APART!" He grabbed the girl by the throat and threw her to the ground. He slammed his boot into her again and spat in her face._

_Taki began looking around for something, ANYTHING she could use as a weapon. Then she remembered: She still had the Mekki-maru. She grabbed the dark-bladed dagger from the sheath she had been keeping it in, and made her way towards Cervantes and the girl._

_The pirate was in too much of a rage to notice the assassin approaching him from behind. He stomped on the swordswoman once more. "HOW DOES THAT FEEL? DOES IT HURT, YOU LITTLE WHORE?" He raised his longsword into the air and prepared to deliver the killing blow. "Your torment will never end, girl," he growled, as he readied himself to stab._

_Taki made one last leap, and plunged the Mekki-maru through the Spaniard's throat. He dropped his sword to the ground and brought his hands to his throat. Taki removed the blade and stepped away as he turned to face her. His cold, black eyes began to go white. A small trail of blood came from his mouth. He slowly reached out one hand towards the ninja. Before it could reach her, his fingers began to crumble away and blow away in the breeze. Then his hand did the same. The rest of his arm soon followed. Before long, the only remainder of the man was his empty clothes and breastplate lying on the ground._

"_It… it's over," Taki said to herself, "It's finally over. Soul Edge is gone!" She felt content. Toki would no longer be influenced by the sword's evil. He'd go back to being the kindly man he had been before. She grabbed the shards of the Rekki-maru, and was about to turn and leave, when she remembered the blond swordswoman who had destroyed the sword. She walked over to the girl, and saw she was still breathing, but she was unconscious. Taki picked up the girl in her arms, and carried her away. She had to help this girl as she had helped Taki. As Taki made her way to the streets, back to the inn, she heard a thunderous boom echo throughout the skies. She turned around and saw a beam of red light shoot into the sky. Then, the entire sky turned crimson as the beam turned into a wave and spread across the heavens._

"_What in the world…?" she began to say, but the young girl in her arms groaned._

_Whatever that red beam was would have to wait. This girl needed Taki's help. And Taki owed it to her. She continued on her way._

* * *

_**UPDAAAAAAAAATE.**_

_**You know what bugs me? Not once has Cervantes EVER spoken in Spanish, or even a Spanish accent. WELL, I PUT AN END TO THAT TODAY. HE'S ACTUALLY SPANISH. YEAH.**_

_**I was reading about the series, and apparently, Valencia was actually abandoned during the time Cervantes had Soul Edge. BUT I CHANGED IT. BECAUSE THIS IS MY STORY.**_

_**Yeah, and I know that by the time Taki found Cervantes, Sophitia was out cold, and had already destroyed the pistol sword. Nyeh.**_

_**Also, now that I have, for the most part, finished the Soul Edge arc of this story, I will attempt to update the other stories more evenly. Attempt.  
**_

_**But enough of that.**_

_**Tell me, what did you think? Was it good? Was it bad? How so? How can I make it better? **_


	16. Seaworthy

**I do not own the rights to the Legend of Zelda or the Soul Calibur series.**

**Please review. Thank you.**

* * *

_Seagulls called up above. The waves hit the shore. The cool water splashed against the side of his face, as the other side rested in the coarse sand._

_Link's eyelids fluttered as he awoke to the splash on his face. He groaned as he lifted himself off the ground. He staggered to his feet, still sore from his fight with the blind beast in the vault. He dusted himself off and limped along the beach, thinking._

_Soul Edge had not been in the vault. The Merchant of Death had died before he could obtain it, and hadn't left a single hint as to where it might be. So, Xiuqiang's lead had been a dead end. The old man had promised Link he'd help him out should the lead go nowhere, but there was a problem. Link had no way off the island._

_There was no way he was going to swim. He had no heading or bearings. And he wasn't strong enough to fight the currents, or go the distance it was, as the only landmass in sight was so faded into the distance, it was barely visible in the brightest hour of the day._

_Link scratched his head as he let out a sigh. He needed a way off. To build a raft or something. But he didn't have the tools he needed. A sword, while good for combat, was ill-suited when it came to chopping down trees. He walked along the beach as he tried to think. Minutes turned to hours and his legs grew tired. He had to sit down and rest for a bit._

_As he looked, he noticed a fallen tree in dirt, where the sand began to mix with the inland forest shrubbery. He walked over to the log, and as he sat down, it came to him. Logs. Fallen logs and trees. That'd be perfect. He stood up and began pushing against the log, starting to roll it down the beach towards the shoreline._

_He scouted the beaches for more logs. He managed to find another, but the other log was quite a ways back. Getting them close together would take time, and the sun was going down. He had to move quickly or get stuck in the dark, and be unable to find his way back. With nary a moment to waste, Link began pushing the log back to the other._

* * *

"GET MOVING, MAN YOUR STATIONS!" came a shout from above deck, waking Link from his slumber.

"What in Nayru's name-" Link began, before explosions rang out, startling him and causing him to jump out of his bed. He got up, donned his tunic, armaments, and hood before stepping outside. Something was wrong.

"YOU!" called the captain, "What are you doing here?! Get back below!"

"What's going on?!" Link asked. As soon as he did, one of the ship's guns practically exploded. Shrapnel and wood went in all directions, killing two of the crew.

"We're under attack!" the captain answered, "Now get below and stay out of the way!" the captain ordered, and turned back to his crew. "LOAD! GET READY TO FIRE!"

Link turned to return to his cabin, when another explosion caused the foremast to break and collapse, falling towards the main mast. The two collided, causing the mainmast to fall as well. The ship wasn't going anywhere.

"Captain!" called a sailor, "What do we do?"

The captain looked around for an escape. He sighed, and turned to his mate, "…We fight. You!" He turned to Link, "Grab your sword!" Link turned to the captain, but just rolled his eyes and turned away, and began heading to the underdeck entrance. "Hey!" the captain called after him, "_Teme_, I'm talking to you!" He ran up and grabbed Link by the shoulder. Link turned his head, his teeth bared. The look in his eye scared the captain enough to make him let go. He began to step back. "If… if you don't fight with us," the captain said, a bit scared of Link, "they're going kill you. It's in your best interest."

Link turned around to face the captain. His face softened, but not by much. He drew the Master Sword from his sheathe, and donned his shield.

"THEY'RE CLOSING IN!" yelled a sailor, "THEY'RE GOING TO RAM US!"

"BRACE!" called the captain.

The attacking ship collided with theirs, and anyone who wasn't sufficiently secured fell to the ground. The ship shook, and there was a loud shout from the attacking vessel. The pirates let out a battle cry and began jumping over to the merchant ship, weapons drawn. Crewman fought against crewman. Blade clanged against blade.

One man laughed and approached Link. He smiled a black, rotted grin as he drew his sword. Link prepared himself and took an aggressive stance. The two men ran at each other. Before the pirate had a chance to strike, Link swung his blade.

* * *

_Link swung his blade and cut the vines hanging from the tree. These would make a decent rope to lash the raft together. He slung the vines over his shoulder and turned back to his camp. It as a small shelter, made of sticks, large leaves, and vines, right where the grass met the beach. He came up on it, and got to work. He wrapped the vines around the logs and began tying it, praying to the Goddesses it would be strong enough to hold. At least until he reached the mainland._

_The swordsman stepped away from the raft, and looked to the sky. The sun was moving towards the West. His stomach rumbled. He hadn't eaten since he was thrown off the boat, near three days ago. He had to eat something before he left. Just something to tide him over before he reached the mainland_

_He grabbed the Master Sword, in hopes of being able to catch a meal. He took off his boots and waded into the shallows. Normally, he would have chuckled at the thought. The Blade of Evil's Bane reduced to a skewer for fish. But there was only one thing on his mind. Food._

_With a great hunger showing in his eye, he stood and waited for a fish to rear its head. The very second he saw one, he struck._

* * *

Link pulled his bloodied sword out, and another attacker dropped to the floor.

He looked up, and saw two other pirates approaching him. He scowled and raised his blade, prepared for another attack.

The first man ran tried to rush Link, dashing from side to side, but Link pulled his sword arm back and spun around, leaving a deep gash in the man's abdomen. The pirate let out a cry of pain and fell to the deck. The next man snarled and stepped towards Link, swinging his blade around. Link looked the man in the eye and charged towards him. Link lunged his sword forward, and but the pirate sidestepped it. The pirate swung his sword at Link's head, but the Hylian ducked, attempting to sweep the man to the floor. The pirate jumped, but Link quickly swung his blade, and slashed across the man's chest. The pirate fell to the floor, clutching his chest. He looked up at Link and snarled. Link slammed the side of his boot into the man's face, knocking him unconscious.

He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He tried clutching at the wound as he turned around. Another pirate stepped back, pulling out his dagger. Angrily, Link swung his blade at his attacker, who only just managed to get out of the way. The pirate smiled and tried to attack Link again, only to receive a boot to the gut. He staggered back, his hand over his abdomen. The swordsman stepped forward and thrust his sword at his opponent, who tried to dodge, and cut through his side. The pirate grabbed at his wound, and staggered away. Link stepped towards the man, and was about to strike when he was forcefully struck in the back. He struggled as he tried to turn around, and was struck again. Angrily, he slammed his shield into his attacker, knocking them back a bit, and plunged his blade into his enemy's stomach. He withdrew his weapon, and the pirate dropped to the deck.

Suddenly, Link felt a sharp kick to the side of his knee. He let out a groan of pain as he fell to all fours. He turned his head towards his attacker, but received another kick, this one to the face, and fell completely to the deck.

An ugly laugh came from above Link, and he rolled onto his back. He saw a pirate preparing to strike, and Link swiftly delivered a kick into the man's stomach. The pirate grunted and staggered back, grabbing at his belly. Link struggled to his feet readied his sword. He charged towards the pirate, and swung his blade. The pirate parried and threw a punch at Link's face. His fist hooked Link square in the jaw, and caused the Hylian to stumble back.

Link wiped the blood from his mouth and prepared to charge at the pirate, when he was cut across the back by another. He let out a shout of both anger and pain, as he turned to attack his new opponent. He slashed his sword across the man's chest, causing him to stagger back, clutching the wound. Link approached to finish his target, when he felt another stabbing pain in his back. Link snarled as a third pirate ripped out his dagger.

Enraged, Link began swinging about the Master Sword wildly, in hopes of striking his enemy. Again and again, he slashed. Then the other two men slashed at him from behind, and he stopped swinging. He spun around and attempted to cut down the two others, but before he could, he was delivered a fierce blow to the chest. He doubled over in pain, attempting to breathe. Once more, he was kicked, far more savagely than before, and fell backwards, down the stairs to the lower deck. As he fell, he struck his head on the final step, and all went black.

* * *

_**SWEET MOTHER OF MERCY, THIS TOOK WAY LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE.**_

_**Well, here it is. Chapter 16. Hopefully, the wait for 17 won't be too long.**_

_**Yes, I know I said I'd try to update my stories more evenly instead of just sticking to one, but a good friend of mine, and the only person who even gives any input anymore, is most interested in this one. And so, this shall be the most updated.**_

_**Anyhow, thank you for reading. Did you like it? Why? Did you dislike it? Why? What can I do to make it better?**_


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